Crossing of the Tides
by Taromaru
Summary: FF7 Slayers xover! With Lina critically injured, both the Slayers and AVALANCHE must take the time to reflect, to bond, and to pray, and to hope. Currently on Hiatus
1. Recruitment: The Summoning of Sephiroth

Slayers/Final Fantasy crossover

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or Final Fantasy VII 'cause if I did why in the world would I be writing fanfiction for?

*Pops in* Xelloss: "Perhaps because you lack any semblance of a life?"^_^

*Triguru turns around*"Gahhh!*falls over in suprise*"How many times have I told you NOT to do that,you fruitcake!"

Xelloss: "maa maa , no need to get so uppity T-sama."

Triguru:(scoffs)" Keh! It's no wonder Lina beats on you on a daily basis, ya damn, obnoxious priest."

* Xelloss beams at him with a halo atop his head followed by a heavenly chorus* Who, moi?

Triguru(Sweatdrops):Riighhht.*turns to the audience*anyway, Here's the first chapter of "Final Fantasy Slayers:the mystical worlds collide"*sweatdrops at the title* I have GOT to think of a better title...

(AN: this story takes place in the Lifestream where Cloud fights the true is my first actual attempt at writing a story. I'm just going along as I write this so please excuse any random plot twists that ocurr during the cross over and please, no flaming! constructive criticism is fine,)

"Braver!" a cry from above shouted.

Sephiroth looked up as Cloud descended down upon him,his Buster sword sparkling with leapt back just as the blade crashed into the crumbling plane of rock. the impact created a fissure in the earth of the plateau,causing it to cut in soon Sephiroth's feet met the ground, he suddenly disappeared.

Cloud scanned the area around him, his blonde bangs swaying from side to side ,looking for

any sign of his silver-haired he heard a cracklng noise. it sounded as though there was a short but common sense told him that there was no possible source of electricity existing in the finally traced the source of the noise,however his eyes widened with suprise and panic as he found the cause of sound. a huge dark globe of energy was sent hurtling straight towards him!'Oh shit!' he thought made a quick plan of action and jumped to the side to avoid the sphere. The colossal Shadow Flare impacted heavily against bedrock, causing pebbles and debris to pervade around the summit .

"PEACE!!"

Cloud barely had a chance turn around and bring up his own sword as Sephiroth charged at him from behind; Masamune glowing an eerie blue as he swung his sword in a wide arc, waves of black energy. The power of the swing caused Cloud to stumble back. Sephiroth grinned maliciously and pressed the attack by performing his version of his Omnislash; Cloud had managed to parry and block most of the blows, albeit with great diffulty. The One-Winged Angel continued his barrage of sword attacks until suddenly he leapt upward, seemingly suspended in mid-air , then he came down with a powerful overhead slash, his sword blazing with dark energy . The terrain rocked and quaked from the sheer force of the blow. The explosion caused by the final strike sent Cloud flying into one of the rock collision caused his body to jolt as he gagged on his own blood.

Sephiroth watched with sadistic amusement as Cloud's limp form impact with the rigid, jagged surface of the ground. 'The fool!' he thought with disgust.' The weak-minded fool had the audacity to oppose me, the true heir of this Planet! 'He chuckled sardonically.'Well... he had already exceeded his usefulness the moment he handed me the Black Materia. Now he is simply another loose end to tie up.'

Sephiroth slowly approached Cloud's body, his Masamune gripped firmly by his side, his foot steps echoing throughout the chamber. As he was but a few feet away, he failed to notice the sudden twitch of Cloud's fingers.

"Hmmph puppet .it seems that is all that you'll ever amount to; a useless, manipulatable little

wretch of a man who has no identity, no past--"

Sephiroth unsheathed his long sword and raised it above his head.

"--and certainly no future."

"That's my line, asshole"

Sephiroth didn't have time to register the insult as Cloud,in one fluid motion, swung his sword horizontally at Sephiroth's blade's momentum caused him to lose footing and landed hard on his back. Cloud flipped to his feet, Buster Sword in handand leapt back a few feet away from his opponent. breathing heavily,his body racked with pain, his stance shaky, but his mako blue eyes betrayed any of the pain he refused show weakness to his enemy and rival. He looked down at his massive sword, muttering one word, "Ultima".

Soon, the Buster sword glew brightly with luster and began to change shape, morphing into the invincible blue blade, Ultima Weapon. Gripping Ultima Weapon firmly in his hands, Cloud held it out in front of him and began concentrating his energy into the sword. He was suddenly surrounded by a bright golden aura, waves of energy violently swirling around him. As the light faded, the wind began to pick up around the area. Rocks and other sediment floated and rotated around the SOLDIER. Sephiroth watched with a mixture of curiosity and awe as the air around him seemed drawn to the blonde-haired man's form. Gritting his teeth, Cloud fixed a weak glare at his opponent. 'God, please let this work!'He thought desperately. 'This is my last shot. Let this at least slow the bastard down!'

"FINISHING TOUCH!!!"

Cloud twirled his sword above his head creating a vacuum, then released the tornado in Sephiroth's direction. Sephiroth's emerald green eyes widened with horror. Hastely, he extended his single raven wing and took to the air, hoping to avoid the rampaging cyclone but instead of escaping it, he was sucked into the very eye of the whirlwind. He twisted and spiraled around within the tornado becoming more and more desoriented as he was thrown around in circle. Suddenly, the air began to slow,the winds stopped raging,and finally was sent plummeting downward,his body slamming harshly on the impact of his descent created a small crater in the ground.

Cloud watched mutely, staring at Sephiroth's unmoving form with great he done it? Had he actually beaten Sephiroth? He had no time to ponder this as the exertion of the battle was catching up with , Cloud too fell to the ground,tired and exhausted.

Suddenly, two figures appeared out of the shadows, their faces obscured by darkness.

"So, these are the ones you have selected Beastmaster-sama?"The first form inquired; obviously male.

"Quite right, my General Priest."The second form spoke; a feminine tone evident in its voice. "They possess incredible power. Why, didn't you see the powers that that Sephiroth demonstrated? His power -equally rivals that of a Mazoku! He would make an invaluable asset to our side."

The man seemed skeptical."Hmm yes, but what if he doesn't accept our offer."

The woman chuckled "Oh he will, will."

"Then", The Trickster Priest gestured over to Cloud's still form."what will we do with him?"

Xelas gave a brief glance in Cloud's direction."Oh, him. Well, I doubt that he would be willing to join us.a shame, really; he would have made an excellent mazoku."

Xelloss murmured in agreement."Indeed, but don't you think it would be best of us to depart? That spell that Sephiroth summoned will impact with the Planet in a mere matter of minutes."

"So worrisome you've become in your old age ,Xelloss," Xelas teased. "Unfortunately, we will not be able to witness this world's demise."

"Oooh" Xelloss pouted.

"Do not fret,my young priest," The Beast-master assured the sullen monster."For with our new 'friend' we soon will bear witness to the utter chaos and destruction of our world!"

Thus ends part one of my me want y'all thought about it; whether it be praise or criticism. ^_^


	2. The Alignment of Gods and Demons

Disclaimer: Fine, neither Slayers nor Final Fantasy belong to me; Are you happy now, ya G&dd&n lawyers!!

Lawyers: "Very."

Taromaru (Sweatdrops): "Who called you guys over, anyway?"

Lawyers: "We received an anonymous call from someone. We tried asking the caller for his identity, but all he said was "that is a secret"."

(Taromaru turns and glares in Xelloss' direction, who's sheepishly wiggles his fingers at him )

Xelloss (nervously):"Ehehehe, w-well I couldn't let you take the chance of laying any preposterous claims on being our creator, could I?"

(Taromaru continues glaring while slowly advancing on Xelloss)

Xelloss: "Oh dear. (turns towards the audience) before my author causes me bodily harm, here's Chapter Two of "Final Fantasy Slayers! Crossing of the Tides that Bind"

Chapter 2: the Demon's bargain to a God

Italics represents thoughts, Quotation marks(" ") represents speech

Darkness.

Pure darkness.

That is where all Mazoku are born.

We are the physical manifestation of all the negative influences of the world.

Anger, madness, Rage, Fear but most of all, Hate, are what we thrive on. What gives us power.

Many creatures are instilled with these traits but the ones that provide the most abundant of these emotions, the ones on the border between light and darkness, the humans, give us the power to reign over all.

But not this one.

His rage evolved into madness

His madness allowed him to realize His power

He is like us yet unlike us.

He does not draw power others' emotions though if he did, he would no doubt be a true, omnipotent deity for he does instill all of these feelings to all those who knew of his name. Rather, he has inherited the ability to devour or absorb the life energy of entire worlds, and destroy them at his leisure. He also possesses an inconceivable amount of psychic power, allowing him to manipulate his victims with but a thought.

A being endowed with incomprehensible strength and power that would make even Lord Ruby-Eye tremble.

He is Sephiroth, the first and only child borne of Jenova.

Now one must ask: What could a demon have to offer to one who is practically a God.

This is what Xelloss Metallium has been pondering for the past two hours since the excursion at Gaea. He simply could not understand what his master could be thinking in bringing such a being to their world. The Darkstar affairhad nearly led to their destruction so why would Lord Beastmaster wish an audience with such a creature?

Hmm, is it possible that she wishes to convert him into a Mazoku in order to control him? Xelloss thought idly. He actually shivered at the thought of how much power the One-Winged Angel would accumulate over time if he became a mazoku. He then gave an inquiry of how the blonde-haired swordman's friends survived from Meteor. Somehow, the Lifestream, coupled with the power of Holy, was able to counter Meteor and dissipate it, preventing the Planet's annihilation, much to the General Priest's chagrin. It wasn't everyday that you could witness an entire world's destruction. Such a pity indeed.

He glanced at the double entrance door leading towards his master's chambers, wondering what was occurring on the other side.

Pain.

That was the first thing that registered in the silvermaned man's consciousness

Pure,unadulterated pain.

Damn Strife to hell.

With that thought, Sephiroth began to stir, his mind still muddled with pain. Uneasily, he got on his hands and knees, trying to steady himself. He raised himself into a kneeling position then looked around warily at his surroundings.

Darkness.

There was seemingly no viable source of light what-so-ever. Even with his enhanced vision, he could see nothing.

However, he did sense a presence. a very powerful presence. The pressure of it was nearly overwhelming.

His senses now on high alert, Sephiroth immediately unsheathed Masamune from his waist and held out in front of him. He closed his mako green eyes and concentrated, trying to precisely pinpoint who or what was emitting such a powerful aura. His eyes snapped open, he gave a brief smirk before dematerializing out of sight.

Zelas watched curiously at Sephiroth's actions when he suddenly vanished, however, she had no time to ponder this as she felt the edge of a blade pressed rather uncomfortably by her neck. While her face remained neutral, she was actually shocked. She didn't even feel him shift into the Astral Plane. He certainly is impressive the beast master thought with a small amount of admiration. Virtually no one,except occasionally Xelloss, were known to catch her off guard and lived to tell about it.

Sephiroth stood behind her, smiling evilly. "So, I take it you are the one who brought me here?" he asked, taking obvious sadistic pleasure in his 'victim's' perdicament. He was quite surprised to hear a low chuckle emanating from the woman's throat. "Yes, I am indeed the one who summoned you",Zelas replied,an impish grin on her face. "I've been observing your activities for quite some time now", she stood up from off her chair, totally ignoring the blade that was still pressed to her neck. Sephiroth was mildly intrigued by her placid behavior. How interesting, he thought faintly. He slowly removed Masamune from the crook of her neck and decided to listen what the seemingly middle-aged woman had to tell him. "As I was saying I have been observing your activities for quite some time now. I must say, you have definitely demonstrated powers beyond even what I have seen from either Ryuzoku,Shinzoku or Mazoku."

Shinzoku? Mazoku? What in Bahamut's name is she talking about!?Sephiroth thought perplexed.

"Explain."Sephiroth ordered.

"Oh, forgive me! I know so much of your background and you know nothing of me.Allow me to explain, you see in every world there are two races; the Monster race ,which are also known as Mazoku, and the Shinzoku, the race of the Gods. Your world harvest these beings as well. you best know them as Summons.You see, the Gods supposedly represents the side of good while We, the Monster Race, are the manifestation of all that is evil. the Ryozoku,those wretched hypocritical dragons,are mere lackeys to those stuffy Shinzoku and are quite a nuisance to us Monsters.the humans, however, act as a medium as they represent the beings of Chaos,meaning they are capable of great good or evil.

"Fascinating.but that does not tell me why you require my services."

"Be patient,I'm getting to that.anyway, We monsters have but one goal; to bring about the destruction and Chaos of our world! however our attempts have always been thwarted by certain group of travelers".Suddenly, an image appeared out of thin air.Sephiroth stared into it,his curiousity piqued.In the vision, he saw a petite young girl with long red hair and a black cloak, a tall blondehaired swordsman who wore black armor and blue garments; a short raven-haired girl and...a man with blue skin and wiry hair who appeared to have pebbles on the sides of his face.

"This is Lina's party. don't let her looks fool you.she is a very cunning and powerful sorceress, the blonde haired man next to her is her guardian, Gourry Gabriev, an expert swordsman. the young dark haired is Amelia Sailune,the princess of the white capital of Seyruun. And that interesting individual who has captured your attention is Zelgadis Greywers. He was transformed into chimera by his grandfather,Rezo, who housed a piece of our Lord Shabranigdo within his blind eyes."

"Interesting. But if these four are mere humans, then why have you had such problems disposing of them?"

"It is because the human spirit is such a powerful and annoyingly persistent thing. These four have not only been able to destroy a piece of Lord Ruby-Eye but have managed to destroy two of our most powerful Dark Lords."Zelas stopped speaking for a moment, allowing Sephiroth to absorb the information. She knew that he would figure it out eventually.

"I see, Sephiroth began, "so you basically took me from my world because your power as the Monster Race has been severely diminished and you need my help in killing them once and for all, Correct?"

"Yes!"Zelas clapped her hands together with glee, causing Sephiroth to slightly sweatdrop."You got it!"

Sephiroth scoffed. "Feh! You insult me, woman. Do I appear as some simple mercenary to you? I am concerned with but one mission; stealing the Planet's life essence to become the Absolute God and restoring my mother to her former power are the only goals I wish to accomplish! All others are irrelevant."

"Ah, but in exchange for your services we are willing to help you achieve that goal." This caught Sephiroth's attention. Xelas smirked. "You could easily harvest much more of the life energy you require from this world than you could in yours. This world is quite abundant with magical energy. more than enough to satisfy you and your mother's craving for power."

Sephiroth eyed her suspiciously."You are willing to offer me this world in exchange for killing these humans?"Sephiroth pondered this for a moment. Yes, I can sense the life energy emanating from this planet. It's more than enough to return Mother to her former Glory and make me an absolute being. But, what do these Mazoku desire in return? Hmph, I will discover this at a later time but for the moment I will offer my services to these creatures, Sephiroth mentally sneered. They may come of some use.

"…Very well."


	3. Chance Encounters of the Blonde kind

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or Final Fantasy 'cause if I did I would be writing a new anime series or programming a new RPG. Xelloss: "that, or he'd be stuck in a mental institution talking to his imaginary friends, Mew and Blinky."  
  
WHAM!  
  
Taroguru stands over a swirlly-eyed Xelloss with a now broken anime mallet, a tick-mark on his temple:"Shut.UP."he growled then proceeds to grab Xelloss by the collar and speaks with a dark tone "Anymore of your wisecracks and I'll have Lina and Filia beat you into a pulp while Amelia sings your "favorite" song.  
  
Xelloss' face paled with fear and sickness at the thought of Filia's mace,Lina's fists and Fireballs and Amelia's "Life is wonderful" song he shook his head vigorously:"I'llbegood,I'llbegood!"  
  
Taroguru grins evilly "That's good to hear. However, I think you need a little sample of what will happen should you decide to be a wise ass again." Turns to face off-screen and whistles. "Oh girls!"  
  
Lina comes in, two fireballs in each hand; Filia comes in patting her mace in one hand, and Amelia enters with Visfarank gloves and a microphone. Xelloss "eeps!" and takes off running.  
  
Lina: "There's the bastard! Let's get him, girls!"  
  
Filia: You'll pay for insulting Taroguru-san's sanity, Namagomi!  
  
Amelia: "Feel the righteousness of justice, Xelloss-san!"  
  
Taroguru:"heh heh heh I'm so evil" Turns to his stuffed bear "Isn't that right, Blinky?"  
  
Blinky:"..."  
  
Taroguru:. "Yeah, well, who asked you?!" Anyway, here's Chapter Three of "Final Fantasy Slayers" Enjoy!  
  
(A/N: This takes place after Slayers Try but follows the novels a bit since I have given Gourry the Blast Blade. If you can, please email me and tell me of the Blast Blade's abilities so that the story can stay true to the series.)  
  
Chance Encounters of the Blonde Kind  
  
Italics represent thoughts, Quotations("") represent speech  
  
"Fireball!"  
  
A certain flame-haired sorceress cackled with glee as the bandits scurried away, fleeing for their lives. They had picked the wrong time to ambush the sorcery genius; namely breakfast time. Lina hurled fireball after fireball at the bandits, effectively toasting a majority of them. Her companion, Gourry Gabriev,was leaning against a tree, his arms folded looking on at the spectacle with pity in his light blue eyes. Those bandits had no idea how riled up Lina can get when she hasn't had the chance to eat.Then again Gourry thought wryly,They'd probably try to rob us even if they did know she was the bandit killer to make a name for themselves. Gourry shook his head, sighing. And people call me an idiot.  
  
After 15 minutes of incessant screams and explosions, Lina finally emerged from the smoke, a satisfied smirk on her face. Gourry pushed himself off the tree and walked towards Lina. He surveyed the scene of destruction then turned towards Lina "Hey Lina, don't ya think that was going a bit overboard? I mean, you did almost set the whole forest on fire this time."  
  
Lina scoffed."tch that's what they get for trying rob us in the middle of breakfast. I mean, who in their right mind would think of ambushing people at the crack of dawn?! They had it coming."  
  
Again, Gourry shook his head then his face broke out into a grin."If you say so, Lina."He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. Lina blushed at the gesture but didn't pull away. It was no more than a week ago since they had told each other their feelings and Gourry had proposed to her. Though she still wasn't used to showing affection in public, she was adapting and found out that she had no problem expressing her feelings to Gourry in private. Lina grasped Gourry's large hand with her small one and smiled. " Say, How about we go to Seyruun and pay Amelia a visit? I think she would enjoy a little time away from all those politics and have a little fun."  
  
Gourry grinned, then added enthusiastically, "Yeah! then we could go find Zel and go traveling again. It'll be just like old times."  
  
Suddenly, a mysterious voice said, "You'll have time to join your friends...when you are all dead and buried!" "Pale Horse!"  
  
The duo turned to the direction of the voice then separated and rolled to the side as a blue beam of energy streaked past them.It smashed through and incinerated any trees that stood in its way. Lina quickly turned her head toward their attacker; he was a tall man, maybe as tall as Gourry, with long silver hair wearing a black outfit with two white shoulder pads on each shoulder, green eyes that seemed to glow,wielding, when Lina got full view of it, a VERY long blade. His right hand was still outstretched from where he fired the spell. Gourry immediately took his position beside Lina, his sword drawn and eyes narrowed. Sephiroth couldn't help but smirk with amusement at the pair.  
  
"So, you are the infamous Lina Inverse,eh? Hmph! I'm disappointed. I expected you to be more self-aware than that. It was easy to get the drop on you.  
  
Lina,feeling insulted, replied heatedly, "And just who the hell do you think you are attacking us randomly like that!? Hell, I don't even know you!  
  
Sephiroth smirked, approaching the pair in a confident stride. Gourry tensed; almost as if he could sense this man's strength. Sephiroth spared a glance at him for a moment then turned his attention back on the diminutive sorceress. "It is of no importance to you who I am. Simply know that you and your friends will die this day. "He prepared to fire off another spell but Lina beat him to it. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that a million times before, Damu Bras!"  
  
The spell slammed into Sephiroth,who was caught off guard by the attack and nearly knocked him off his feet. Sephiroth grunted from the impact of the spell but quickly regained his composure. He glanced down at his chest, then leveled a grin, "Hmm.." Sephiroth mused. "You actually surprised me with that little spell, but believe me it won't happen again."  
  
Lina resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stood with one hand on her hip. "Geez, what's with you guys always trying to kill me? So what are you here for? Revenge? Money? Or, Lina narrowed her eyes, were you sent by a Mazoku Lord?"  
  
Sephiroth chuckled, "you are an insightful girl. You are indeed correct for the most part as I have taken up the task of killing you for the sake of the Mazoku, but make no mistake, Miss Inverse, I'm not one of them."  
  
Lina's face took one of confusion. "Then why are you doing this? If you're not from the Monster Race why are you coming after me?  
  
Gourry noticed that Sephiroth had shifted his position slightly,his feet were spread apart and his hand reaching diagonally for his sword but stopped mere inches away. Gourry, proficient in the art of swordsmanship, recognized it as a stance to attack. Lina had already taken note of his change in stance and cupped her hands together in preparations for a spell. "Let's just say that I was given an offer that I couldn't pass up...not that it will be any concern of yours much longer.  
  
"Really,"Lina said feigning boredom.  
  
"Really, Fire 3!"  
  
A ball of fire formed in Sephiroth's hand then leapt out as an endless stream of fire! "Balus Wall!" Lina exclaimed. As the fire wave was just about to engulf the young sorceress, a barrier was created.The Fire 3 spell slammed heavily against the barrier, dividing into two separate waves of fire. Lina gritted her teeth and concentrated, straining to keep up the shield up, but she was slowly being pushed back by the force of flames. Sephiroth sneered and ceased the spell. As soon as he stopped, Sephiroth sprinted towards Lina with incredible speed,his hand firmly gripping the hilt of Masamune. Lina had dispelled her own spell and only had enough warning to back-flip as Sephiroth came charging in and quickly swung his blade. The tip of the blade missed Lina but only by a margin. Lina cast a levitation spell on herself in mid-air; she flew high into the air and began to cast another spell. "Flare Arrow!" she shouted. Soon, a multitude of fire arrows appeared around her and launched themselves at Sephiroth. The One-Winged Angel simply stood there with a sick grin on his face then held out his hand in the direction of the Flare Arrows muttering one word,"Reflect."  
  
Lina watched with horror as the Flare Arrows bounced off Sephiroth's shield and were redirected back at her. Lina swiftly evaded the barrage and shot a glare at Sephiroth. _Damn it!_ Lina thought irritably. _Who is this guy?! He's using spells that I've never even heard of before! He says that he's after me per a agreement he made with one of the Dark Lords but he says that he's not a Mazoku.Does that mean that he's a human sorcerer?_ Lina was abruptly taken out of her thoughts as she saw Sephiroth vanish from sight before her eyes. Knowing what tactic to expect, Lina swerved around and fired off a Fireball just as Sephiroth phased back into existence. The Fireball hit Sephiroth dead on but as the smoke cleared, he was gone. Suddenly, she was surround by multiple orbs of dark energy. Lina didn't have time to act as the Shadow Flare closed in on her and exploded on all sides.  
  
Gourry didn't bother to shield his eyes from the brightness of the explosion, instead he cried out,"Lina!"He watched on helplessly as Lina fell from the sky. Snapping himself out of his daze, Gourry began dashing toward the rapidly descending sorceress,leapt into the air and caught her before she met the ground. Lina's ruby red eyes started to flutter open and blinked a few times before noticing her position. She blushed and started to shift in Gourry's arms."Are you okay, Lina? Gourry asked worriedly, his eyes filled with concern. "Yeah." Lina responded meekly, her blush intensifying. She quickly shook her head as if trying to clear it and began to release herself from Gourry's embrace. "I was able to cast a Windy Shield before I was hit by his spell, so it absorbed most of the damage."  
  
"Not bad."  
  
The two turned around to see Sephiroth clapping his hands in mock applause. "I'm actually impressed. Not many are known to survive a Shadow Flare with little more than a few burns. You truly live up to your reputation, Miss Inverse. However, as much as I may respect you, it is time for you to die!" Sephiroth then proceeded to charge toward the duo, clutching the Masamune in both hands.  
  
"Oh no, you don't!" Gourry exclaimed, meeting the silver-haired man swordman charge for charge. "Fool, don't get in my way!" "Peace!" Sephiroth lashed out with his irradiated sword, but surprisingly, Gourry planted his feet firmly into the ground,braced himself, and caught the glowing blade with his own sword. The two were at a stalemate before Sephiroth finally broke it with his inhuman strength, and shoved Gourry back into a tree. Lina leapt, twisted in the air over Sephiroth, and delivered a roundhouse kick to his face, causing him to step back. Gourry, now alleviated from the pressure, struck his sword into the ground, releasing a powerful shockwave of energy. Sephiroth, recovering from the kick, saw the attack and mimicked the move, only the energy he released was dark and greater in size. The two energy waves met at the center but Sephiroth's promptly plowed through Gourry's like it was nothing. Lina ran in front of Gourry and cast a spell,"Defense Barrier!"she cried. The dark wave slammed into the shield and after a moment, dissipated. Lina lowered her hands and sighed,closing her eyes...only to reopen them to see Sephiroth with his sword pointed in her direction! Particles of energy were accumulating on the tip and the blade was surrounded by a dark aura.  
  
Lina's eyes narrowed with determination. "Well, he's going to go all out, huh? Then that leaves me with one choice. Gourry, stand back!" Lina cupped her hands together, her talismans glowing a crimson color, _Darkness beyond Twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the flow of time is where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand before this mighty gift bestowed upon my unworthy hand. Let the fools before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess, Dragon Slave!  
  
_Lina let loose the wave of hellfire just as Sephiroth's sword finished charging. The dark aura which surrounded Masamune snaked its way into the orb of energy occupying the tip of the blade. Sephiroth looked at Lina and sneered. "Now die, Lina Inverse!" He fired the energy beam at Lina. The Dragon Slave and Sephiroth's energy beam collided, both fighting for dominance. Lins strained to keep her spell going, but she had never had to sustain the Dragon Slave for such a long period of time. As The energy beam was finally starting to push Lina's spell back, Sephiroth could not help but taunt. "Foolish girl, do you not understand? You may be the most powerful sorcerer in all the world, but I am far beyond what you are. I will end your pitiful human existence and become God of not one world, but two! You should surrender now while I still feel merciful enough to grant you a quick death."  
  
Despite the obvious strain it was having on her, Lina snorted. "Like I said 'like I hadn't heard that a million times before!' I don't know what pact you made with the Monster Race but you're a fool if you think they'll let you have dominance over this world! Their goal, Their Existence, is to see this world returned to a Sea of Chaos! Don't you understand that?" Lina was now down on one knee, her strength dimming. Sephiroth's blast was inching closer and closer toward her. Before she was about to give in, she saw a green blade of energy streak past her and split the beam in two. The energy blade continued until it slammed into Sephiroth, who roared with pain. He was thrown into a tree by the force of the blast,smashing it in two. Lina looked behind her to see the source of the attack; it was a young man with spiky blonde hair, wearing a purple vest with one armored shoulder guard on his left shoulder. His eyes seemed to glow a tranquil blue. Lina noticed the man's weapon and her eyes widened in amazement at the enormity of the sword. The stranger glanced down at Lina while still keeping a defensive position, his eyes carrying a hint of worry.  
  
"Are you okay, miss?" The spiky haired man asked.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for the help." Lina managed to gasp out. She was exhausted.  
  
Gourry ran over to Lina to see if she was okay when he saw the other blonde man. He was wary at first but seeing that Lina didn't appear apprehensive with this man, he reconsidered him being a potential threat. Gourry smiled "Hey, thanks for the helping Lina.I—--"Gourry didn't finish his statement when he noticed that the young man's gaze was fixated on Sephiroth, who was slowing getting to his feet. Lina stood up and leveled a calculating look at Sephiroth, taking in his disposition. There was a large gash on his chest where the blade hit him but other than that, there appeared to be no other signs of injury. Sephiroth's mako eyes burned with anger but that was soon mixed with confusion as he took a good long look at of their savior. _Impossible! Sephiroth thought with disbelief. What in all the hells is he doing here?!_ His face was fixed in a evil scowl as he said in a voice full of contempt, "Cloud."  
  
In a voice equally full of contempt, Cloud responded "Sephiroth."  
  
Finally! I finished chapter three of "Final Fantasy Slayers." And my muse has learned a valuable lessonturns toward Xelloss Isn't that right, Xelloss?  
  
Xelloss:   
  
Yeah, that's what I thought   
  
Lina: "yeah well, you have some explaining to do, mister."  
  
Taroguru:. "oh no."  
  
Lina: "Oh yes. What was up with that fight against Sephiroth? Yeah, he's powerful, but you made me look like a weakling!"  
  
Taroguru: "Now, now Lina, I couldn't have going all out on Sephy when you A)Hardly know anything about him B) you're now dealing with a foe with unknown magic and origin c)it was for the sake of plot."  
  
Lina: "Plot?"  
  
Taroguru: "yeah. I couldn't have you beating him THIS early in the storyline, but don't worry; You'll get another crack at him and I promise that I will make you more in character in future chapters  
  
Lina: Well, I'll forgive this time as long as you keep me in character.  
  
Taroguru: Heh, no problem. Anyway, Read and Review! 


	4. Sent By the Heavens Above

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers nor Final Fantasy VII so suing me is futile. Nah!(pulls down bottom eyelid while sticking his tongue out)  
  
Xelloss: Sighs "Now let's all take a moment of silence to thank both God and L-sama above for that."  
  
Taroguru raises an eyebrow: "You're not sassing me again, are you demon boy?  
  
Xelloss(frantically): "No, T-sama, I was just joking! You know me heh heh heh"  
  
Lina: coughsbullcoughsshitcough  
  
Xelloss: "Lina-san, please!....wait, what are you doing in the author's corner?  
  
Lina: "Taroguru convinced me to act as his second muse to A) 'discipline' you if you should misbehave and, B) to act as his commentary for the story.  
  
Xelloss: "....He bribed you with the promise of food and money, didn't he?"  
  
Lina: "Of course not!....he promised me a share of his author powers."  
  
Xelloss:OO; "oh. Good. God!"turns toward Taroguru "are you insane?!"  
  
Taroguru: shrugs "partially."  
  
Lina and Xelloss both sweatdrop  
  
Taroguru: "ANYWAY, turns to the audience here is chapter four of "Final Fantasy Slayers!" Enjoy!  
  
Sent By the Heavens Above  
  
Italics represents thoughts, Quotations("") represents speech

"What are you doing here, Puppet?" Sephiroth asked coolly. But inside, he was furious! _Damn it, why now!? _Sephiroth thought, enraged. _How can he possibly be here, of all times!!? He should have been left for dead in the Lifestream. _Sephiroth was able to smother some of his anger to think rationally. _I don't understand. Why is he here? He couldn't have possibly made it to this world on his own. He does not have the ability to cross dimensions as I possess. _It was true. As Safer Sephiroth, he was able to transport both himself and Cloud's allies to another dimension in order to perform his summon spell, Super Nova. But that still didn't explain Cloud's sudden appearance.  
  
"I'd be asking you the same thing, Bastard," Cloud replied in response to the 'puppet' comment. "I would have thought you would be coming after me, not trying to kill innocent people. But then again, That's just typical of you, isn't it?  
  
"Hmph. And why would I be concerned about an insignificant insect such as yourself when I have more important matters to attend to? Speaking of which", Sephiroth turned to Gourry and Lina who were both in a battle stance. "We still have some unfinished business, Miss Inverse."  
  
Lina simply glared in response. In her mind, she was trying to think of a strategy. _As much as I hate to admit it, I only really have two choices, though neither one is particularly appealing. I've exhausted most of my energy trying to sustain the Dragon Slave. I could probably still pull off a few more spells, but nothing that would cause sufficient damage to Sephiroth. Well, it's either sink or swim. _Lina looked at Gourry out of the corner of her eye, signaling for him to get ready. Gourry caught Lina's glancing and realized that she had a plan. He gave a short nod then refocused his attention on Sephiroth.  
  
Cloud was oblivious to the exchange between the sorceress and swordsman; all his attention was directed at the man in front of him. Cloud reached behind his back, grasping the hilt of his Buster sword and said coldly, "We're going to finish this once and for all, Sephiroth."  
  
"Sorry to interrupt you boys, but you'll have to settle this another time, Mega Brand!" Soon, the ground beneath Sephiroth's feet began to rise then suddenly exploded. Sephiroth growled and raised his arm to shield his face from the flying dirt and sediment. _Now's our chance! _"Come on, Gourry, move it!" Lina cried. She directed her attention towards Cloud. "Look, you need to come with us! I don't know what your connection with Sephiroth is, but it's obvious you're here to help so let's go!"  
  
Cloud seemed reluctant at first, but he nodded his head and ran along side with Lina and Gourry. Lina cast a Ray Wing then gestured to Cloud and Gourry to grab hold of her hands. The two blonde swordsmen promptly did so and reached for the sorceress' hands. And with that, the three flew off into the air and were soon out of sight.  
  
Sephiroth removed his arm from his face once the dust settled. He looked around the field trying to catch a glimpse of his adversaries, but could find no one. They had escaped him! Sephiroth tilted his head and let loose a roar that would shatter the heavens; a scream filled frustration, anger, but most of all, Rage. A dark aura enveloped his body and crackled with black electricity dancing around him. It grew bigger as bolts of electricity, being generated by the dark, magical aura, shot out and ripped across the landscape. The earth shook and trembled before Sephiroth's fury as everything within a 4-mile radius was being destroyed. Nearby forests were being set ablaze and the ground being torn apart by the force of the lightning bolts. Soon, the scream began to die on Sephiroth's lips; the dark aura began to dissipate. The silver- haired swordsman looked around at the destruction he had caused and smirked; now this world would know to fear his power.  
  
"Are you done?"  
  
Sephiroth whirled around at the sound of the voice, only to come face-to- face with the Trickster Priest himself, his usual grin on his face. "Now, now. I understand that you're upset but you were forewarned; Lina Inverse is not one to be underestimated nor to be taken lightly. You were too confident."  
  
Sephiroth snorted. "Do not presume to lecture me, demon. I was fully aware of the challenge that this Lina Inverse would be, but that is not the source of my anger. No, what infuriates me is that damned puppet Strife is here! I was initially gauging the girl's strength, trying to understand how she fought in battles. I had no intention in killing her now because that would have been a premature on my part. But now that Strife's here, this makes my mission all the more troublesome."  
  
Xelloss opened one slitted eye, his playful grin becoming a smirk. "Hmm, or is it possible that you're merely making excuses for your failure—"Xelloss had no time to finish that statement as Sephiroth yanked him out of mid-air and proceeded to strangle Xelloss with one hand. With green eyes glowing brightly, Sephiroth spoke darkly, "Understand this, Mazoku. Do not EVER question my actions again lest you truly desire oblivion."  
  
Xelloss, with both eyes open, replied icily, "And do not think that for one instant I will not kill you where you stand should you presume to threaten me again, human.  
  
The two merely stared each other down, neither one relenting in the least. Finally, Sephiroth released the general priest. "I will kill Lina Inverse without fail, but I will do it in my own fashion. You nor your mistress are my superiors, so do not dare regard me as some lacky again or your master will have to create another subordinate; do we understand each other?"  
  
When Xelloss said nothing, Sephiroth dematerialized out of sight. Xelloss glared at the spot where he disappeared, the ruby mounted on his staff was glowing a bright violet. "We will see, my friend, we shall certainly see."  
  
Elsewhere  
  
The town of Eshmar was a relatively calm, peaceful environment. Its markets filled with fresh vegetation; children happily playing along the streets, neighbors who were relatively good-natured, and everyday was done in a routine. There was never anything that would disrupt the peaceful tranquility...that is until today.  
  
Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and at that moment, appearing out of the sky, were what appeared to be three mysterious figures. They landed softly on their feet, ignoring the awed looks on the townspeople's faces. The petite young red-haired girl,who was among the three, gestured for the two blonde-haired swordsmen to follow her into the local inn.  
  
"Ahhh, after a fight like that I'd say the three of us deserve a hard earned meal, eh guys?"Lina said as she took her seat. Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Err excuse me, Miss Inverse, but shouldn't we be discussing what went on back there?" Lina merely waved it off. "Yeah, Yeah, we'll get to that but right now I'm STARVING! First, I miss out on breakfast because of those stupid bandits, then I'm suddenly being attacked by some white-haired lunatic who wants to kill me; If I don't eat something soon, I'll go crazy!"  
  
Gourry, who was next to Lina, whispered to Cloud, "It'd be a good idea if you guys wait till after breakfast. Lina can get really grumpy if she's missed a meal."  
  
Cloud blinked. "Grumpy as in—"  
  
"Fireballing you for starters, or if you steal her food or if you call her flat chested, a Dragon Slave" Gourry said casually.  
  
WHAM!  
  
Lina stood over a disheveled Gourry, her fist still poised from where she hit him. "Who asked you, Jellyfish-for-brains!?"  
  
Cloud simply sweatdropped at the couple. Man, Aeris wasn't kidding. _This Lina is definitely one feisty, tenacious girl._  
  
After breakfast (or, from Cloud's perspective, what appeared to be an all- out war of food deprivation) the three decided to get right down to business.  
  
"Okay, Lina began, so tell us who exactly is this Sephiroth, and for that matter; who are you and why did you help us back there?  
  
Cloud grinned. "You're certainly direct, aren't you?" Cloud sobered, a solumn look on his face. "Well, to answer your first question Sephiroth is a powerful being who comes from my world. I guess you already figured out that we're not exactly residents around here.  
  
"Yeah, I gathered that much from my battle with Sephiroth. He said that he'd become "God of not one world but two!" That, and those strange spells he was using against me. But what I need to know is what does that have to do with me."  
  
Cloud shrugged. "I wish I could say but I only have a faint clue myself as to why Sephiroth and the Mazoku want you dead. Aeris didn't tell me enough to find out what exactly their objective is."  
  
"Um, excuse me but who is this Aeris?" Gourry asked.  
  
"Oh, she was the one who sent me here. Maybe I should start from the beginning—"  
  
flashback  
  
...Cloud...  
  
Who..is calling me?  
  
Silly, it's me. Don't tell me you forgotten about me already.  
  
Aeris?  
  
Yes, Cloud it's me. Listen, I don't have much time to explain but this is really important. While you were unconscious there were two strange beings that were here. Beings who possess incredible power. They are called the Mazoku. The Lifestream has explained to me that they are a race of creatures that thrive on the very essence of negativity. They came to our world because they need Sephiroth.  
  
What?! But why?  
  
They need him to eliminate a sorceress named Lina Inverse who resides in their world. She is said to be brave,loyal, courageous, powerful, somewhat tenacious and ill-tempered girl but has a pure heart and soul. She defeated a piece of a demon lord by the name of Ruby Eye Shabranigdu whose powers rival that of Bahamut; our dragon god.  
  
A being as powerful as Bahamut? But, that can't be true. The only other Summon beings with more power than Bahamut are the Knights of the Round.  
  
Things operate differently in their world, Cloud. while the Gods of their world are in constant war with the Mazoku, ours live in neutrality. Because of Materia, anyone can call upon a God such as Alexander or the chaos knight Odin. We live in the fourth plane of existence where the demon lord of our world is called Death Fog. Our materias also draw their elemental powers from the gods except for Ultima, which is the most powerful spell next to Meteor and Holy.  
  
But you say the gods and demons live in neutrality in our world; what do you mean?  
  
I can't explain that at the moment, right now you have to go! I'm going to use the power of Holy to transport you and the others to Lina's world. Once you're there, I want you to seek out Miss Lina and warn her of what the situation is before Sephiroth comes after her. I can't accurately pinpoint where you will end up, and you may even be separated from the others once you get there. I'm sorry, Cloud.  
  
Don't worry about it, Aeris. I'm sure we'll manage but, how will we know who this Lina Inverse looks like?  
  
Heehee, no need to worry about that. Almost everyone in the world whose heard of her will give you a description of what she looks like. But if you need to know in advance, she's short with red eyes and hair; wears a black cloak with two black shoulder guards attached and a black bandana wrapped around her head; she also wears three magical talismans on her wrists and neck. You shouldn't have much difficulty finding her.  
  
Alright, I understand. I'll try to get to her before Sephiroth does.  
  
Good luck Cloud.  
  
end flashback  
  
(A/N sorry if my explanation of how the Final Fantasy and Slayers Universes are connected was lame. I'll probably revise this and make it better once I finish the story)  
  
"---And when I finally arrived in your world, I was alone. Conveniently enough, Aeris was able transport me near the forest the two of you were in. It didn't take me long to find you since I could sense powerful magic being used. I found you guys fighting Sephiroth in an open field and, well, you already know the rest."  
  
"Well, we appreciate the help," Lina said. "but what about your friends?"  
  
Cloud sighed, "I wish I knew but I have no idea. Aeris warned me before hand that we all might not wind up in the same location. I just hope they're okay."  
  
Lina slapped Cloud hard on the back, causing him to yelp and stumble forward. "Don't worry too much about them, okay? I'm sure we'll be able to find them in no time.  
  
"So Lina," Gourry asked. "what are we going to do now?"  
  
"Well, I think the smart thing to do is to find Zel as soon as possible. I have a feeling that we're not the only targets.  
  
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "who's Zel"  
  
"He's a friend of ours who we usually travel with. I remember something Sephiroth had said that made me think that he was not solely after me. I believe that whatever the Darklords are planning, it involves all of us."  
  
Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Seyruun  
  
A white-hooded individual walked along the road that led to Seyruun. He wore what appeared to be a mask on his face, which hid his more 'unique' features. _Well, _the strange hooded character thought to himself. _I did promise her I would visit. _Zelgadis couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing the boisterous young princess. It had nearly been no more than half a year since he last saw her. With no new leads to his cure, He decided to research Seyruun's library in the hopes that there was a spell that would return him to his original form. Well, that was part of the reason anyway. He would never admit even to himself that it was because he missed his young traveling companion greatly.  
  
"Excuse me, but would you happen to be Zelgadis Greywers?"  
  
Zelgadis whirled around at the voice to come to face a white-haired man wearing dark clothing. Zelgadis narrowed his eyes, his hand rest on the hilt of his sword. "And if I am?"  
  
Sephiroth smirked. "Come, now. It is only appropriate that one should be properly acquainted with their angel of death."  
  
Taroguru: "sorry for making this chapter so short, ppl. But I'm being overloaded with ideas for chapters 5, 6, and 7 and I simply need to get them organized before I continue. I promise that I will make it up to you by my next update."  
  
Lina: You DO realize that said people are probably PO'ed at you for holding them in suspense.  
  
Taroguru: "I know, I know. Which is why I'm going release the aforementioned chapters in my next update."  
  
Lina: "I just hope your next update doesn't take as long as the last one  
  
Taroguru grins wryly. "Don't worry, it won't. Anyway, see that button down there? It's telling you to review REVIEW NOW! Muhahahahahahahahaha!  
  
Lina:**thinks** Great. If it's not annoying mazoku priests, it's crazy authors **sighs **Why me? 


	5. The Angel of Death

Disclaimer: I thought I made this perfectly clear; I don't own Final Fantasy or Slayers okay?   
  
Lina: "Well, you're in a cheerful mood today."  
  
Taroguru: "Sorry, but I don't see why we need to write disclaimers for every single chapter. It's already obvious to people that I'm not A) Japanese B) wealthy c)The writer or programmer of two of the best series in Japan."   
  
Xelloss: "It's better to have owned and lost than to never have owned at all."  
  
Lina: ".…What the hell kind of logic is that?"  
  
Xelloss waggles his finger, "Sore wa himitsu desu!"  
  
Wham!  
  
(Xelloss lays unconscious while an irritated Filia stands over him patting her Mace-sama)   
  
"Namagomi no baka."  
  
Taroguru: "Thanks Filia-san"  
  
Filia: "my pleasure".  
  
(Lina pokes a stick at Xelloss' body): "You know, you're bound to cause him some kind of mental disorder if you keep this up. I mean, isn't he the guy you name yourself after? so why do you abuse him so much?"  
  
Taroguru: "Ya know the old saying 'you always hurt the one you love'? That doesn't apply in his case. I just like doing it 'cause it's fun!   
  
Lina and Filia thinking: 'Now we know why he takes after that Namagomi/fruitcake.'  
  
Taroguru: Anyway, I'd like to thank Yumekage again for the information on the Blast Sword and my anonymous reviewer for pointing out my mistake with the number of talismans Lina has(my bad!) Now, on to chapter 5 of "Final Fantasy Slayers!" Enjoy!  
  
The Angel of Death  
  
Italics represent thought, Quotations("")represent speech  
  
"Just who exactly are you?" Zelgadis questioned, an edge of suspicion in his tone. He still had his hand resting on the butt of his sword. Sephiroth, however, regarded Zelgadis as one would a casual acquaintance. He had taken an interest in the young chimera since the first time Zelas had showed him his image. Hmm. A creature that is 1/3 golem, human and demon. He shall prove to be a worthy adversary, Sephiroth thought with a hint of excitement. He was actually looking forward to this.  
  
"Does it really matter that much to you who I am? I am nothing more than a person who wishes to test your skill. You are said to be an excellent swordsman as well as a powerfulshamanistic magic user. All I wish to do is witness for myself just how powerful you really are."  
  
Zelgadis blinked in surprise but didn't lower his guard. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm here to visit a friend of mine so I don't have any time for a duel. Not interested." Zelgadis was about to continue his course down the road when Sephiroth spoke again. "You mean to see the young Amelia Wil Tesla Sailune?"  
  
Zelgadis stiffened, then turned around sharply to face the grinning swordsman. "What do you know about Amelia?!"  
  
Sephiroth grinned at Zelgadis and replied; "Well, if you're not interested in participating in a simple duel with me, that's fine. I'm sure the little princess would accept…once I've burned her and her precious city to the ground."  
  
"Like HELL you will!!" Zelgadis said angrily, his turquoise eyes flickering with rage. Sephiroth's words were enough incentive for him to draw his sword. "Were you sent here by the Mazoku?"  
  
Sephiroth chuckled. "It's amazing how you and your friends would come to the same exact conclusion." Sephiroth withdrew Masamune from his waist. Sephiroth brought his sword to his forehead and saluted Zelgadis before easing into a battle stance. Zelgadis,surprised, returned the gesture and got ready for battle.  
  
The two stood in perfect silence, neither one of them moving an inch until suddenly, Zelgadis sprinted to the left while Sephiroth darted for the right. Both swordsmen circled one another, looking for an opening to attack. Sephiroth finally leapt forward,swinging his sword at Zelgadis' chest. Zelgadis jumped back, just missing the sword's tip. Zelagadis came at Sephiroth with repeated jabs at Sephiroth's stomach and chest but Sephiroth deflected them all. Repeatedly, the One-Winged Angel and the chimera clashed swords, neither one gaining an advantage until fourth collision; Sephiroth grinned and placed his hand on Zelgadis' chest and whispered "Shadow Flare". The pressure and heat of the dark fireball pushed Zelgadis back several feet and caused him to keel over, panting heavily while grasping his chest.   
  
_Damn it!_ Zelgadis thought, irated. _What in the world was that? I've never heard of that spell before! It felt as if my chest was going to burst! He's also inconceivably strong; I could feel it with every strike of his blade. He could possibly be a mazoku but his eyes...they have an unusual glow to them. They're not slitted like other mazoku, but then who or what is he?_ Zelgadis was pulled out of his musings as Sephiroth tossed a Fire 2 spell in his direction. The fireball sped toward Zelgadis at an incredible speed; the young chimera didn't have enough time to evade it. the spell connected and there was a huge, fiery explosion. Sephiroth stared at the scorched area where Zelgadis was, a discontent look on his face. "Hmph. What a disappointment; I expected far more of a challenge from such an extraordinary creature."   
  
"I think that you've seriously underestimated me."   
  
Surprised, Sephiroth turned toward the source of the voice and met with a lightning bolt in the chest. the kinetic force and heat generated from the Digger Volt not only pushed Sephiroth back, it caused his cloak to catch on fire. Frantically, Sephiroth patted down the flames and sent a glare at Zelgadis, who simply smirked in response. "While that spell of yours was impressive,  
  
it could still be countered by a Fireball and a barrier. you should know better than to expect less from your adversary."  
  
Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle, "indeed. I should not have been so careless as to think you'd be easy to dispatch, but no matter; I will destroy you eventually but not before seeing the full extent of your abilities." Sephiroth then lifted a hand at Zelgadis. "Comet 2!" Sephiroth shouted; Suddenly, a barrage of meteors came crashing from the sky. Zelgadis held his hands out in front of him and began muttering a spell. It was an experimental one that he had yet use."Guumeoen!" he exclaimed. Just as the meteors were about collide, a barrier had formed. the comet spell made impact with the barrier and the meteors exploded in mid-air. Sephiroth watched in amazement as his comet spell was so effectively countered. Comet 2 was one of his more powerful spells.  
  
Meanwhile  
  
The trio, Lina, Gourry, and Cloud, had just left the town of Eshmar early that morning. Their new destination was Seyruun where they hoped they would find Zelgadis. If not they could still get to Amelia and warn her of the possible danger. While they were travelling, Lina and Cloud learned a great deal of each other's worlds. Lina learned of Sephiroth's origin and of Cloud's adventures and Cloud learned of Lina's exploits, her most recent one being her victory over Darkstar. Lina also learned of the powers of materia and that they even have the power to summon the gods or mazoku of his world.  
  
"So, have figured out who the mazoku and gods are?" Lina asked.   
  
"Yeah, I believe that the mazoku are Odin, Hades, Ifrit, and Typoon while the gods are Alexander, the Phoenix, Leviathan and  
  
Ramuh(A/N Again, this is my theory since Ceiphied and Shabranigdu had created four subordinates, so would the Gods and Mazoku of the other worlds. I'm not sure how to fit the other summons into the mold except that they are the creations of the subordinates excluding the Knights of the Round which I think is another form of L-sama's power. Lina: Look no one's questioning you so quit with the explanations! Taroguru: Hey! I'm only helping the reader out. )   
  
"So anyway, you said you were fighting Sephiroth in the Lifestream after you defeated his other forms, right?"  
  
"That's right", Cloud confirmed. "We thought that after destroying his final incarnation we had defeated him, but he was able to pull me into the Lifestream as we were about to escape. We fought for a while until I used my limit break to knock him unconscious. But from what you've told me of this Darkstar, I'd say that you make our battles with Sephiroth look like a cakewalk."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't go that far since it certainly wasn't a cakewalk fighting him. He was able to push back my Dragonslave like it was no huge feat at all; and it was amplified too. He's definitely not going to be an easy opponent to beat." Lina sighed, dismayed. "we'll need all the help we can get if we're going to fight him again so we need to find your friends as soon as possible. I don't like involving my friends in my affairs but it looks like I'm not being given a choice."  
  
Surprisely, Gourry interjected. "Well Lina, didn't they almost defeat this guy before? I mean, with all of us fighting together we should stand a pretty good chance in defeating him."  
  
Lina turned towards Gourry, surprised that he had been listening so intently to their conversation. she smiled; "Yeah, you're right, Gourry! With all of us fighting together, he's not going to stand a chance."  
  
Cloud couldn't help but smile at the couple's optimism. It reminded him of Tifa and Aeris and how the two of them could lighten the mood no matter how dark the situation. He looked up to the sky and felt a sense of nostalgia overtake him. He could never forget that time when Sephiroth had killed Aeris. It caused his heart to ache as he remembered how he had failed one of the two people who had such a strong faith in him, but then he thought of how it would have felt if it had been Tifa who was taken from him. He was sure he would have been driven mad with grief and vengence. I pray that you're alright, Teef . I promise I won't fail you. not this time, I promise.  
  
CLANG!  
  
SHRRRNGG!  
  
Zelgadis had just parried a rising slash from Sephiroth with a leaping chop. Sometime during the course of the battle, Zelgadis enchanted his sword with the Astral Vine spell, hoping it would be enough to shatter Sephiroth's blade, but so far, it had no effect.   
  
"Bram Gush!" Zelgadis shot an arrow of wind at Sephiroth but Sephiroth erected a Wall spell around himself, causing it burst harmlessly in front of him. Zelgadis let out a war cry and charged toward him, his sword drawn. Sephiroth merely rose his sword to block the blow and countered with a swipe of Masamune. He clipped Zelgadis in the shoulder then reversed the direction of his sword leaving a deep, diagonal cut on his chest. Zelgadis gasped and clutched his chest, blood leaking from his tunic. Zelgadis bent down on one knee trying to heal his wound. he looked up to see Sephiroth's form looming over him with his   
  
sword raised above his head."Well, this has been amusing but now the game finally ends. Farewell."  
  
BANG!  
  
"All Creation!"  
  
The next thing Zelgadis knew, he saw Sephiroth's sword thrown from his hand and was hit by a huge beam of blue light.  
  
Zelgadis turned towards the source of the beam of light; he saw a man wearing a red banana wearing a crimson cloak and a black tunic with... what appeared to be a metal claw for a left hand. Next to him was a young girl, who he surmised was about Amelia's age, wielding a huge shuriken wirh a green vest and tan shorts.  
  
"Hey, mister; are you okay over there?  
  
"Yuffie, Go tend to that young man right there while I hold off Sephiroth."  
  
"GAWD, Vinnie! You're worse than Cloud giving off orders like that! You--"  
  
"Yuffie--"  
  
"Alright, alright, fine. Geez, you don't have to sound so irritable, ya know."Yuffie muttered, annoyed. She ran to Zelgadis' side and began casting a Cure 3 spell on him. "Now, hold still", Yuffie whispered, her eyes closed in concentration. Zelgadis felt a warmth envelop him and soon, the cut began to fade then finally dissappeared.  
  
Zelgadis tenderly touched where he was slashed then looked up at Yuffie, an appreciative look on his face. "thank you."  
  
Yuffie grinned, flashing a victory sign at him. "No problem."  
  
"I wouldn't be so grateful to them yet--"The three turned towards Sephiroth, who had recovered from the attack,"--because it will all be for naught."  
  
Well, thus ends Chapter 5 of Final Fantasy Slayers. you know what to do; just press the review button and tell me what you think! . 


	6. Joyful Reunion! The Slayers and Avalanch...

Disclaimer: sighs I don't own Final Fantasy or Slayers,but I can still  
dream, can't I?  
  
(Lina pats Taroguru on the back): "There, there. You'll always have the  
tapes and manga."  
  
Taroguru (Sweatdrops): "That I own little of to begin with."(Begins  
sulking)  
  
(Lina sighs and faces the audience): "While my manic depressive author  
is brooding--  


Taroguru: I am not brooding!--Here's Chapter 6 of Final Fantasy Slayers!  
Enjoy!"  


  
Joyful Reunion! the Slayers and Avalanche band together!  
  
Italics represents thought while Quotations("") represents speech  


  
Sephiroth frowned, his emerald green eyes flashing with anger. " I don't  
care how you two managed to get here but you shall regret meddling in my  
affairs."  
  
Vincent merely regarded him coolly. "It does matter what you say,  
Sephiroth, we would never allow you to harm the innocent." Vincent  
walked calmly over to Yuffie and Zelgadis, then knelt down next to them;  
he placed him clawed hand on Zelgadis' shoulder . " Are you alright?"  
Vincent asked Zelgadis, a hint of concern evident in his voice.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks" Zelgadis said flatly, shrugging the hand off. He  
heard footsteps coming from infront of him; he saw Sephiroth approaching  
them slowly  
  
"None of.you will be 'fine' for much longer, Bolt 3!" Huge lightning  
bolts came crashing down from the sky. Vincent,still kneeling, placed  
his human hand on the survace of the ground and exclaimed,"Quake 3!"  
Suddenly, layers of the earth rose from the ground and formed a wall  
around them. the bolts of lightning struck the walls, causing chunks of  
earth to crumble and break apart, but still acted as an effective  
shield. When the two spells ceased, Vincent, Zelgadis and Yuffie broke  
apart and ran in three different directions.  
  
Zelgadis suddenly stopped running and placed his hand on the ground and  
said, "Gou Vu Rou!" A shadow appeared along the ground and rushed  
towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth noticed the shadow coming towards and  
impaled the ground with his sword. the moment the shadow reached the  
sword, it scattered and disappeared. Zelgadis' eyes went wide with  
shock.. Sephiroth looked at Zelgadis and smirked. "Not bad, but easily  
countered."  
  
Sephiroth sent a Pale Horse beam at Zelgadis,which he rolled out of the  
way as the beam just grazed his arm. "How about this, Burst Flare!" A  
ball of light formed in the area then it exploded, spreading blue-white  
flames throughout the field. Sephiroth was engulfed  
by the raging inferno.  
  
"Gawd damn it; will you watch where you fire off those kind of spells,  
you idiot!" Yuffie screamed as she jumped up and down.  
  
Zelgadis snorted. "if you weren't so careless you wouldn't have anything  
to worry about so quit your complaining."  
  
"What!?What did you say you ungrateful blue-haired, stonefaced bastard!?  
See if I ever heal your sorry ass again!" Yuffie bellowed, folding her  
arms across her chest. Vincent let out a quiet chuckle as Yuffie was  
fuming.  
  
Zelgadis turned towards the blazing flames, hoping that the spell was  
enough to destroy Sephiroth. "Who was that man?" Zelgadis asked quietly.  
Once Vincent managed to calm Yuffie, he answered Zelgadis' question,  
"His name is Sephiroth." Zelgadis turned towards him, " 'Is' ? you don't  
possibly think that he could have--"  
  
Zelgadis was cut off by a voice that said "Heartless Angel".  
Suddenly, three halos appeared atop their heads and, before they  
realized it they were on their knees, feeling the very life being  
completely drained out of them. They could hear someone laughing  
maniacally from the direction of the flames. Sephiroth finally emerged  
from the inferno, his Black coat and armor gone leaving his muscular  
chest exposed for all to see. He stopped laughing and sneered at the  
fallen warriors. "Was that your best, Greywers? Hmph. pathetic. I had  
such high expectations of you. No matter; you shall simply pay with your  
lives for putting up such a poor performance. Flare--"  
  
"Visfarank!"  
  
Sephiroth received an energy fist to the face before he was able to cast  
the spell. He landed flat on his back; he sat up and rubbed his mouth  
with the back of his hand and sure enough there was blood.  
  
Zelgadis weakly lifted his head up when he heard the attack. His eyes  
widened in disbelief when he saw who it was.  
  
"How dare you attack innocent people and then strike them when they're  
down! in the name of Justice, I,Amelia WIl Tesla Sailune, will punish  
you for your dishonorable, unjust actions!"  
"A...mel..ia.." Zelgadis couldn't fight the weak, but genuine smile that  
appeared on his face. Despite the obvious pain he was in, he was glad to  
see his little Justice Freak again.  
  
"Don't worry, Mister Zelgadis. you'll be alright in just a minute,"  
Amelia said reassuredly.  
  
"Hmph. I wouldn't be making any promises, little girl," Sephiroth said,  
smirking. "Soon you and your friends will be meet the same fate; which  
is oblivion."  
  
"Damn...you ... Amelia ....run..run away now..."  
  
"No, I won't leave you Mister Zelgadis", Amelia stated adamantly, spread  
out her arms as if to shield him. Sephiroth smiled evilly,"Well, isn't  
that just unfortunate." " Then," Sephiroth held his hand out, large ball  
of energy forming in his palm, "I shall lead you all to the Promised  
Land."  
  
"So, why don't you be the first to go,m&%her f&%ker! Ungarmax!  
  
Sephiroth let out a cry as he was assaulted by a hail of energy bullets.  
Amelia whirled around and saw a burly, muscular black man with a gun  
grafted to his arm; a red lion like creature with a flame on the tip of  
its tail; a man with light blonde hair and wielding a lance: a woman who  
appeared to be a fighter; and a cat riding what appeared to be a stuffed  
toy of some kind.  
  
"Yo! Are you awright, girl?" Barret asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm okay, thank you. But my friend needs help," Amelia said.  
  
"Holy s&%t! what the f%&k happened to the vampire and the brat?"Cid  
asked, worry evident in his voice despite the vulgarity of his words.  
  
"Sephiroth was responsible, no doubt." Red said, observing the  
situation. his head swerved over to where when he heard a groan.  
  
Sephiroth was climbing to his feet; the cells of Jenova which coursed  
through his veins were repairing the damage afflicted upon him. Once his  
wounds were healed, he stood upright and faced them. "You fools still do  
not understand ; it does not matter how many of you there are you will  
never conquer me."  
  
"I'm still willing to test that theory."  
  
Sephiroth whirled around only to come face to face with Cloud, Lina, and  
Gourry.  
  
Lina grinned. "So, ready to go another round?  
This time, with all of us."  


  
You know what to do people : review, review REVIEW!  
  



	7. Together at Last! The Battle of Ages! pa...

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own a thing except the tapes and the games.  
  
Xelloss:"Which we are all thankful for."  
  
Taroguru:grins "But I can bend them to my will every now and then like so.."(makes Xelloss do the Macarena)  
  
Xelloss (while doing the Macarena): "This is not funny!!"  
  
Lina: "You should have kept your snide remarks to yourself."  
  
Taroguru: "Now without further ado, here's Chapter 7 of "Final Fantasy Slayers!" Enjoy!

Together at Last! The Battle of Ages! part one

Italics represent thought, Quotations represent speech("")  
  
"Miss Lina, you're here!" Amelia cried out happily. She was kneeling beside Zelgadis, casting a Resurrection spell on him. Zelgadis got on his feet once she was done; he flashed her a smile. "Thank you Amelia." Amelia blushed crimson and looked away. "Y-You're welcome, Mr Zelgadis."   
  
Meanwhile, Cloud was casting Full-cure on Vincent and Yuffie, both of his hands pressed against their foreheads. Suddenly, Vincent's blood red eyes snapped open and he sat up; Yuffie woke up shortly after Vincent. "Are you both feeling alright?"Cloud asked his two companions. "We're okay but what took you so long, you spikey-haired dope?! Me, Vinnie and the rest of us have been looking everywhere for you. And whose that redhead you're with?" Cloud shook his head, "I'll explain later, Yuffie. Right now we need their help if we're going to finish off Sephiroth."  
  
"As I said, quantity doesn't outshine quality, my friend. Numbers are meaningless unless you have the power to back them up, Flare!" Sephiroth fired a huge fireball at Cloud. Cloud saw the attack and countered with an Ice 3 spell. Several shards of ice surrounded Cloud then shot forward, heading towards Sephiroth. when the two spells made contact, they had canceled each other out. A bright golden aura radiated off Cloud; he twirled his sword above his head then leapt into the air and shouted, "Meteorain!"  
  
A barrage of meteors flew from his sword and were sent plummeting from the sky. Sephiroth reacted quickly and teleported out of the way; the meteors made impact with the earth, causing multiple explosions as it connected to the earth. he reappeared, leviating a few feet from the ground.   
  
Lina winked. "My turn Cloud, Disfang!" Lina's shadow began to stir and took on the shape of a dragon.  
  
"Let me help you there, missy, Dragon!" Cid said as he called upon his dragon limit break. A kimodo dragon appeared out of no where. following it's master's mental instructions, it flew towards the One-Winged Angel.  
  
.  
  
The two dragons were closing in on Sephiroth. the shadow dragon tried to take a bite out of Sephiroth's shoulder but Sephiroth slashed at it with his Masamune, cutting off its head. The second dragon succeeded in wrapping its body around him, attempting to constrict him. Sephiroth growled, which soon became a roar. "You...think..you ..can..restrain...ME!" With one final scream, he   
  
broke free of the dragon's grip. He readjusted his grip on his sword; he stabbed the serpent then pulled his sword through its body cleaving it in two. He landed softly on his feet.  
  
"Ra Tilt!"  
  
"Gauntlet!"  
  
A blue column of light envelopped Sephiroth, followed by a stream of blue-white flame that burst on impact. "Victory!"Yuffie and Amelia exclaimed in unison, flashing the victory sign. Their celebration is shortlived when a pillar of dark power erupted from the area that Sephiroth had been present. A shockwave spread throughout the area, knocking everyone to the ground. The pillar of energy began to dissipate and Sephiroth walked out of the smoke with nothing more than a few burns. He eyed the two girls with irritation, "If you think I can be done in by such meager attacks, then you are seriously overestimating your chances for victory."  
  
"We'll soon see about that, Elmekia Flame!" A beam of white energy was released from Zelgadis' hands. Sephiroth teleported out of the way and the beam incinerated a nearby tree. Sephiroth frowned and responded by lifting his arm into the air. Suddenly, a geyser of energy erupted from the ground under Zelgadis. Zelgadis was thrown off his feet by the force of the burst.of energy and landed hard on his back.  
  
"We're not getting anywhere fighting him separately," Lina shouted over to Cloud. "I know." Cloud said."But what can we do? He's able to counter every move we make."  
  
"Then...that's it! Cloud, I want you to signal for one of your friends to attack Sephiroth immediately after me, got it?  
  
"But what good will that--"  
  
"Just tell them to get ready to get ready, okay?"  
  
Cloud seemed ready to argue until his blue eyes lit up with realization. he smiled and nodded, "You got it! Barret,Red listen; I want you to get ready to use one of your limit breaks after Lina."  
  
"Awright, Spike. I hope you know what you're doing."  
  
"I understand Cloud" Red XIII said.   
  
Lina cast a levitation spell on herself and soared towards Sephiroth. "Fireball!"The fireball was sent hurtling towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth turned his head to the direction of the fireball and promptly slapped it aside with his hand. "Attacking me head on, Lina Inverse. I thought you were smarter than--"  
  
"Big Shot!"  
  
A huge sphere of energy was sent heading towards Sephiroth from behind. Sephiroth sensed it coming and was about to avoid it when he saw Nanaki running towards him. "Blood Fang!" An aura of crimson energy surrounded Red XIII's body as he dashed forward. Red XIII rammed into Sephiroth, causing him to stumble back from the force of the blow. Before he had a chance to recover, Tifa and Amelia ran up and assaulted Sephiroth with a series of punches and kicks. Amelia punched Sephiroth across the jaw with a right hook of Visfarank and Tifa placed her foot on Sephiroth's chest and performed a flip-kick, causing his head to snap back. Tifa was about to follow with a Water kick but Sephiroth caught her leg and swung her around, slamming her into Amelia. The two of them collapsed in a heap. He was about to finish them when both Cloud and Gourry descended upon him, their swords raised. Sephiroth raised his sword and braced himself as the two blonde-haired swordsmen brought down their weapons; the combined force of the blows sent a shockwave down Sephiroth's arms. They pressed down on their weapons with all their strength, hoping to overpower the powerful general but Sephiroth simply applied more strength and slowly, began raising his sword and pushed them away. Gourry held the Blast Sword in front of him, magical energy began swirling around the blade"Blade Haut!" then he struck the ground, releasing a shockwave of energy. Cloud followed suit, attacking with his Blade Beam technique. The two energy waves slammed into Sephiroth before he had a chance to place a barrier on himself, sending him flying.  
  
Vincent was running from from the side; Electricity was dancing between his metal talons. He shot his hand out and shouted "Bolt 3!" A powerful lightning bolt escaped Vincent's extended hand and hit Sephiroth hard. Sephiroth turned in his direction,pointing the Masamune at him. Particles of energy gathered into the blade; when the sword was fully charged, Sephiroth exclaimed,"Stigma!"  
  
and released the energy. the beam was about to connect when Lina jumped in front of Vincent and cast a spell, "Dolph Strash!"the spear-like shockwave traveled at an incredible speed and managed to pierce through Sephiroth's Stigma blast. Sephiroth smirked and dodged to the side, avoiding the spell. "Well, this has been most entertaining, but now I shall send you all to the Promised Land!" A black hole formed above as Sephiroth rose his hands into the air, his entire body engulfed by a dark aura. Suddenly, meteors began plummeting from the sky, causing numerous shockwaves when they touched the ground.The Slayers and Avalanche were all knocked off their feet. An enormous ball of energy was forming in the center and it was increasing in mass by the second.   
  
Lina's eyes were wide with horror at the sheer size of the glowing sphere._ What do I do?! If he releases that spell, we're all dead! _Lina's eyes narrowed with determination._ Then there's no other choice. _"Lina!" She turned to see both her friends and Cloud's rushing towards her. "I hope you have an idea on how to stop him," Zel said anxiously. "I only have one idea on how to stop him before he wipes us all out. I think I can shatter his spell with a Ragna Blade but it's probably going to take our strongest spells to be able to destroy that thing. If you guys are all willing to cooperate with each other, we should be able prevent him from finishing his spell."  
  
"She's right. We'll need to work together in order to beat Sephiroth. I'm willing to: how about the rest of you?" Cloud asked.  
  
"I'm with you, Cloud" Tifa said, stepping forward.  
  
"Well, I'm not going to sit around like a moron while you guys take all the credit. I'm willing to help,"Yuffie said adamantly. she looked down and grabbed Vincent's human hand. "And Vinnie's going to help too, aren't you Vinnie?" Vincent looked at her with a bemused look but he nodded nonetheless. "I'm will help any way I can," Vincent stated softly. The others soon echoed his words and agreed.  
  
Well, then. Let's get started." 

"Right!"everyone shouted.

To be continued 


	8. Mazoku's Ambition! The true purpose of S...

Disclaimer: Me no own Final Fantasy or Slayers. Me am poor.  
  
Xelloss: "Can you say "I am in desperate need in a recourse in grammer"?  
  
Taroguru:"Can we say"shut your piehole before I remove it?"  
  
Xelloss:(gulps) "... uh heh, shutting up now."  
  
Taroguru: "Good."

Lina: "So, you finally return,eh Taro?"

Taroguru: Yeah, and I'd like to apologize to all my faithful reviewers for the EXCRUCIATING long wait. I've been going through some...turbulant times these past few months, but now I'm back!

Lina: "Just pray that some of your 'fans' haven't left you for better pieces of literature.

Taroguru: . Ow! That's harsh, Lina-san!"

Xelloss: "Well, I don't know about you but I enjoyed his time away, especially from his demented punishments."

Taroguru: evil grin "Speaking of which...."(turns Xelloss into a cockroach)

Xel-roach: squeaky voice "You been watching the subs of Try again, haven't you T-sama?"

Taroguru(cheerfully): "indeed I have!

Lina: sighs "God, they're both so immature. While my maniacal author and his idiot muse get back into the groove of things, here's Chapter 8 of "Final Fantasy Slayers!" Enjoy!

Mazoku's Ambition! The True Purpose of Sephiroth Revealed part two

Italics represents thought, Quotations("")represents speech 

"Xelloss, come forth." The Beastmaster's command echoed throughout the chamber. Darkness began to stir and twist around itself and then materialized the Trickster Priest. "You called, my mistress?" Xelloss asked respectfully.  
  
"Yes. I wish for you report Sephiroth's progress with Lina and her friends."  
  
Xelloss bowed his head apolegetically. "Forgive me, Lord Beastmaster, but I'm afraid that Lina and her friends are not the only obstructions to our plans, Beastmaster-sama. Somehow, the one named Cloud Strife and his companions have appeared on our world and are currently engaging battle with Sephiroth along with the Slayers."  
  
Xelas didn't seem the least bit surprised by the news. "Well, that was to be anticipated. I suspected the Cetra would attempt to interfere with our affairs. No matter, This will further determine if Sephiroth's power is what is sufficient enough to meet our demands."  
  
"I beg your pardon, Beastmaster-sama, but do you honestly think that the power of Sephiroth is enough to revive our lord Ruby Eye? After all, He was originally a human being, though admittedly a very powerful one. Do you not think we are putting too much faith in this man's abilities?"  
  
Xelas grinned lazily at Xelloss. "I do not reprimand you for being doubtful, Xelloss. You are wise to be so. But this 'human' has escaped death and arose again more powerful than any thought possible. True he was human, but only partially. the blood that courses through his veins was also that of a being that was powerful enough to wipe out an entire race of powerful spellcasters with only a fraction of her power. It took all within their power to simply imprison her. Now her son, who has succeeded her in power,has nearly decimated the entire planet. Yes, we have failed twice in resurrecting the Dark Lord Shabranigdo due to the Water Dragon Lord and Lina Inverse. But as I said before, His powers rival that of a Mazoku; and that is not even the peak of his powers."  
  
Xelloss remained silent, considering what his mistress had said. Could it be possible for a mortal to ascend to godhood simply by stripping away all that made him human? He knew that when Sephiroth died, his human half was absorbed into the Lifestream, and after receiving the Ancients' knowledge acquired even more power. But what stopped this being from destroying them all? He held no allegiance to anyone but his 'mother'. Why would his master be so confident that they could control one who nearly brought about the end of the world?  
  
"Alright guys, you ready?"Lina asked the group of heroes. The Slayers crew and AVALANCHE gave an affirmative nod. They took positions around Sephiroth, the Super Nova continually grewing in intensity and size.  
The Meteors rotating and hovering around him, acting as a defensive perimeter. Sephiroth chuckled in amusement,"And just what are you fools up to now? Don't you understand that your efforts are pointless? Why don't you simply accept your fates and wait for death?"  
  
Lina smiled confidently. "Sorry, Sephy, but I've always made it my policy not to just lay down and even if there's a one percent chance at winning." Lina held her hands over her head, summoning a spell, "Rune Flare!"a spear of fire formed in her hands and shot forward, heading towards Sephiroth. Before it could reach him, one of the meteors floated right in path of the attack. The Rune Flare hit and caused the meteor to explode into a million pieces. Sephiroth grimaced slightly but his frown quickly returned to a smirk; however,. Lina saw his change of expression. _So,that's your secret, huh?_ Lina quickly turned towards the others, "guys, I figured out his weakness. The rocks! He's drawing power from the energy spheres inside the rocks!"  
  
Gourry looked at Lina and smiled. "So if we destroy them--"  
  
"--He won't be able to complete his spell, exactly!"  
  
"Then what the hell are we waitin' for? Let's take um out! Barret cocked his gun-arm and took aim at one of the levitating rocks. He was surrounded by a golden hue; he raised his gun-arm and shouted "GRENADE BOMB!" A sphere of white energy formed within the barrel of his gun-arm and was released at one of the meteors that were floating around Sephiroth. the attack hit it dead-on and caused it to explode. Sephiroth growled as he felt the flow of power being cut off; those spheres that rested in the center of the meteors were,in fact, the compressed energies of other planets. To have one or two destroyed would significantly decrease the power of the Super Nova. He suddenly felt a surge from the Super Nova, signaling its completion. Sephiroth looked at both groups and smirked, "Well, while I commend you for your valiant efforts, your deaths are now inevitable. All you can do now is prepare yourselves for your descent to Hell! Super Nova!" he tossed the huge ball of energy at the Slayers and AVALANCHE!

"Not so fast, you demented freak!"_ Power that can smash even the souls of the Gods, Ragna Blade!_

Within Lina's hands, darkness began to form. The darkness elongated into a huge, black sword, filled with the power of Chaos. "Hiiiyaaa!" Lina lifted the sword above her head and brought it down on the Super Nova,trying to split the sphere of energy. Lina gritted her teeth, her feet skidding backwards. _No, I can't afford to give up now! _Lina pushed harder, the blade of nothingness grinding into the sun sphere generating sparks. Lina felt the Super Nova giving in to the pressure and pressed down even harder. She let out a war cry and cleaved the Super Nova in two.The two, smaller Super Novas passed from either side of Lina, heading toward the two groups behind her.

"No!" Lina cried.

With nothing obstructing their path, the twin novas detonated. Lina watched in horror as she saw her friends being engulfed in a large,fiery explosion. She was knocked off her feet by the tremors caused by the explosion. _Gourry.... _Lina thought mournfully. She shook her head fiercely_, No, they'll be alright. they have to be_! she reassured herself despite her uneasiness. Lina slowly climbed to her feet, her eyes holding a steely look of resolve_. I have to believe in them. Besides, I have a more immediate problem to deal with....but if anything's happened to them, I'll make sure that bastard pays for what he's done!_ Lina cast a Levitation spell on herself and soared in Sephiroth's direction, with the intent of settling this once and for all.

Sephiroth was struggling to his feet using his sword as leverage to steady himself. He was nearly drained of half of his strength using his summon spell. He felt a spike in his senses and lifted his head only to see Lina Inverse coming into view. _So,you survived, have you? _Sephiroth thought. An evil smile crept on his face_, But it appears that her group and Strife's didn't. This was not how I originally planned to deal with them, but it works toward my favor either way_. He was abruptly taken away from his thoughts as Lina landed right in front of him. Sephiroth tried to peer her eyes, but her hair shadowed them. He grinned slightly, sensing her anger. "Well, I seem to have underestimated you quite a bit, Lina. I actually thought I had you done in for a second. But I'm not really surprised; after all, you are the legendary sorceress, Lina Inverse."

Lina didn't respond to his verbal barbs. Instead, she held her right hand out, clenching it into a fist then put her right fist on top of her left, as if she were holding something. She looked at Sephiroth and whispered, "Ruby Eye Blade." a red aura enveloped the tiny sorceress; the blood red energy being generated around amassed itself into her clenched hands, taking on the shape of a crimson blade; the Ruby Eye Blade. Lately, Lina has been looking for a more controllable (and less destructive) variation of Shabranigdo's power other than the Dragon Slave. The result was the Ruby Eye Blade; the manifestation of the demonic energies of the Dark Lord's power in the form of a sword. Lina pointed the sword at Sephiroth and said, "You know what? I'm getting REALLY tired of that smothering, egotistical pride of yours. If you plan on killing me by talking me to death, I suggest you take this seriously or I'll shove it up your ass 'cause now I'm pissed and I don't have the time to listen to this bullshit! So, if you're done with your self-promotional crap, I'd say that we settle this."

Sephiroth merely took her verbal jibes. He simply pulled his sword out of the crumbling ground. He beckoned with his hand, "Then, come. Let's dispense with the talking and settle this. PREPARE YOURSELF!

"Well, he 's doing better than I anticipated." Xelas commented as she observed the battle between the sorcery genius and the One Winged Angel.

Of course, he did, after all, spend five years of his life in a Mako cocoon. His powers have been greatly amplified due to his dormancy.

Xelas turned to the direction of the voice. "Yes, but I hope for his sake that he doesn't allow his overconfidence to get the better of him. Many mazoku have died at the hands of Lina Inverse because they let their pride to blind them."

You need not worry yourself, Sephiroth is anything but a fool. Though he appears arrogant, he has a calculating mind that is able to assess a person's strengths and weaknesses. however, it seems that Lina Inverse is of the same mind.

Xelas nodded in agreement. "Well, We'll just have to wait and see this battle's outcome, won't we?

To be continued 


	9. Lina vs Sephiroth: The Battle of Legends

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or Slayers. They are the property of Square and Software Sculptors.

Taroguru: "Ohayo, minna-san! I'm back!"

Lina: "Whoa, what are you so happy about Taro?"

Xelloss(gagging): "erk...yes, it's very--gack-- unusual for you to be in such a good mood."

Taroguru grins like a crazy person: "I got the two volumes of the unedited version of Shaman King at Best Buy!"

Lina: blinks "So there's apparently a God out there."

Taroguru: I know; I'm just so happy that Funi won the rights from those bastards at 4kids. Even something better than watching the original Japanese version, they also redid the dubbed version, and it's word for word with the Japanese version so there's no real comparison between the two(unless you're biased and only adhere to the original).

Lina: "So, How were the two volumes?"

Taroguru: "They kicked ass! Especially the opening song; It's sooooooooooo much better than the crappy one on FoxBox.

Megumi-san really outdid herself. Heck, since I've got the original Shaman King as well as the Yu Yu Hakusho:Dark Tournament game I'm considering writing a crossover between YYH and SK. Oooo, the possibilities!"

Lina: "Before you start making other plans, how about finishing this one?"

Taroguru: "oh, right. Anyway, I also don't own_ Oversoul _from Shaman King. That's what I was listening to when writing the Sephiroth and Lina battle scenes. One last word: Shaman King fans, if you are reading this fic, you know we have been liberated from the evil of 4kids. Sooo, go forth and get the uncut Shaman King! Go now!"

**Lina vs Sephiroth: The battle of legends**

CLANG!

Lina's feet skidded backwards from the force of Sephiroth's swing. This time, Sephiroth swung his sword low from the right, which Lina jumped over and delivered a kick to his temple; Sephiroth staggered from the blow to the head. Lina took a chance at attacking him before he recovered. She crouched down for a second then leapt into the air, performing a somersault over his head. She landed behind him, her knees bent and their backs facing one another until Lina swiftly turned around and tried to cut Sephiroth across the back. However, Sephiroth sensed the attack and instinctively put his sword behind his back, catching the crimson blade before it could cause any damage; sparks flew as the magical swords made contact. Sephiroth grinned then twisted the lower part of his body to execute a roundhouse kick that would send the redhead spinning. Quickly, Lina ducked and rolled under the kick. She sprang up into the air, her sword held high, and brought it down with all her strength. Sephiroth rose his blade up and blocked the diving slash. The contact between the blades of the Masamune and the Ruby Eye Blade generated sparks of blue and crimson energy. Finally, the two broke apart, leaping away from one another.

_Damn, this_ _is going nowhere, _Lina thought, agitated. _His swordmanship is in the same class as Gourry's, and_ _that's hard enough to believe. Plus, that sword of his...Cloud said that while he was part of Shinra he heard that Sephiroth's sword was constructed from pure mako, and that it was a relic of the Ancient's. And he also said that only Sephiroth can wield the Masamune and only he knew how to utilize its true power. Besides that, I know zilch about his sword and its properties, so, I'll have to be careful. _

Lina broke out of her reverie as Sephiroth lunged forward. She managed to block Sephiroth's attack and countered with a thrust of her sword. Sephiroth threw himself backwards out of range of her attack. Sephiroth looked at Lina with a look of pity, "You are a fool, Inverse. You're alone now with no one to help you. I've managed to kill your friends with barely half of my power, so why do you think your chances of beating me will be any different."

"My friends are not dead, you ass!" Lina responded angrily. "They've taken on far worse than you, and I sure as hell know that they would never be done in by a self-absorbed wannabe god like you."

Sephiroth growled, pulling out Masamune and pointing it at Lina. "Really? Then let's see if you can back up your words, Die!"

Sephiroth shot a bolt of black lightning from his sword at Lina. Lina held her sword up and caught the energy bolt; it deflected off the crimson sword and destroyed a large boulder. Lina's and Sephiroth's hair whipped back from the winds caused from the explosion. Lina smiled mockingly, "Okay, was that your best, Sephy; Because that was pretty pathetic if ya ask me."

Sephiroth looked at her coldly, "Hardly." He lashed out with his sword, swinging it in a wide arc. As the sword passed, several dark balls of energy were released. Lina slashed at each of them as they came at her. Meanwhile, Sephiroth teleported behind Lina and tried to cut her across the back but Lina back-flipped over Sephiroth and clashed swords with him in mid-air. Just as Lina's feet met the ground, she was met with the butt of a sword striking her cheek and sent her spiraling to the ground; the Ruby Eye Blade vanished from her hands as she fell. Sephiroth grinned maliciously, _The impertinent_ _wench thought the same tactic would work on me twice? Hmph! What an idiotic mistake on her part._ Sephiroth held his sword high in the air then slammed it into the ground, releasing a dark wave of energy; it ripped through the ground as it traveled towards the fallen sorceress. Before it could reach her, Lina suddenly leapt to her feet and threw herself to the side, dodging the attack and firing off a spell, "Burst Rondo!" numerous balls of red light left her hands and were sent heading towards Sephiroth. They all exploded as they hit Sephiroth; Sephiroth grunted as they made impact but not out of pain but annoyance, the Burst Rondo wasn't causing any real damage but it prevented him from seeing the sorceress.

Sephiroth felt a pair of hands on his back and heard someone shout "Blast Wave!" He was being propelled forward into the forest where he crashed into a number of rocks and trees. He quickly regained control and maneuvered himself out of the way of the blast. Sephiroth fumed quietly, His hands clenched into fists by his side. _How dare she?! Does she think she has gained an advantage over me?! Well, if she wishes to see my full power then so be it! _A twister of black wind wrapped around Sephiroth, completely obscuring him from view. The twister began to expand, engulfing the entire forest in its powerful wind.

Lina waited with her eyes trained forward, waiting for Sephiroth to either emerge from the forest or to perform a sneak attack but neither happened. _I couldn't have finished him off with just the Blast Wave. It's a powerful spell but at best it should have winded him._ _so why—_Lina's thoughts were cut off as she was pushed back by a strong gust of wind that nearly knocked her off her feet. Lina could now sense an overwhelming presence coming from the center of the forest; A column of light shot through the sky, piercing the heavens. The wind became a maelstrom, which started to lift the trees off their roots and sent them flying in the air. Lina cast a Ray Wing on herself, swerving to avoid the tree trunks that came crashing to the ground. She soared to the source of the disturbance; large chips of wood and pebbles bounced off the wind shield Lina had created around herself. Finally, the winds began to die as the light started to fade away. Lina could make out a figure in the center of an open part of the forest. What Lina saw horrified and amazed her; what she saw before her was no longer simply Sephiroth...but the One Winged Angel.

"So he finally unleashes his full powers, hm...? this will be so much fun!" Zelas said giddily like a delighted child.

My, my, aren't you the excitable one, Lady Zelas.

The Beastmaster merely stuck her tongue at the silhouette. "Oh, you're no fun. I would have thought you of all people would enjoy seeing this happen."

True. I do indeed want to see how my 'son' stands up against this exceptionally powerful young woman. He has not faced a true challenge since his battle with Cloud Strife and I would hope to think he has not become lax. And even if he fails, there is still our continguency plan.

"Of course. That _is _one of the main reasons we brought him here after all." Zelas reminded the shadowy figure.

Yes, but I've also noticed that your general priest has taken a subtle dislike of Sephiroth. I would hope that will not become a factor in our plans.

"No need to worry about that, Xelloss is very obedient and loyal. He wouldn't dare think of sabotaging the plan despite his feelings." The Beastmaster said with confidence.

Perhaps...

"Damn, that hurts like hell," the old pilot muttered. Amelia was bent on her knee, healing his wound.

"Well, we should consider ourselves lucky that our barriers held up against that attack," Zelgadis said calmly.

"Yeah, you say it's luck, I say it was a bloody miracle," Cid replied.

"Oh, quit complaining you old fart! You're still alive, aren't you?" Yuffie said irritably.

"Say something else brat, and I'll shove my lance right up your scrawny little ass!"

"Scrawny?! Who the hell are you calling scrawny you dirty old chainsmoker?!"

"Materia stealing punk!"

"Outdated chimney stack!"

"Okay, that's enough you two," Tifa said, standing between them.

"God, are they like this all the time?" Zelgadis asked Cait Sith in exasperation.

"Nope, sometimes they even argue," Cait Sith said cheerfully, doing a little dance with his mog.

Zelgadis sweatdropped at the toy cat _And I thought our group was bizarre._

"Err, Mr. Zelgadis, shouldn't we go searching for Miss Lina? I mean, we haven't seen her or Mister Sephiroth since he attacked us with that spell." Amelia suggested timidly. Zelgadis smacked himself on the side of his head, cursing himself for

forgetting about their friend and leader. "I know Amelia, but we can't go looking for her with our party still injured."

Cloud, who was silent up to now, announced, "I think I can help there. Red, could you give me your All and Cure material?"

"Of course, Cloud." Cloud bent down and removed the material from Red XIII's armor. He slipped them into the slots of his armlet; He spread his arms and a green light surrounded the group. "Whoa, what did you do, Cloud? I feel like I'm getting better by the minute," Gourry asked, amazed. "I just cast a Regenerate spell. You should be recovering from your wounds but don't strain yourselves; it'll take a little time before the spell fully heals you."

"Interesting. Once this over, I'd like to know more about these material and how they work." Zelgadis said admirably.

"My, my, I never knew you could be swayed so easily by such a simple little thing as materia, Zelgadis."

The two groups turned their heads upward to see a familiar violet-haired priest.

"Xelloss/Mr.Xelloss!" Zelgadis and Amelia said in unison.

Xelloss pouted. "What? You're 'that' surprised to see me? It's been half a year since we last saw one another and this is the greeting I get; I'm hurt. Really."

"Save it, Xelloss. What are you doing here?" Zelgadis demanded.

"Oh, you should know by now that that's...a secret!" Xelloss said, waggling his finger at a twitching Zelgadis.

"Hey, jus' who tha' hell is this guy?" Barret asked. He didn't know why, but he felt strangely uneasy in Xelloss' presence.

"Why, my good man, I'm Xelloss, the Trickster Priest." Xelloss introduced himself.

"I don't know, you just look like a damn fruit if you ask me," Cid said; Amelia giggled while Zelgadis was fighting a grin.

Xelloss had a small tick mark on his head. "Well, you certainly are the pleasant on—" Xelloss didn't finish as he felt a large blade by his throat.

"Don't move, Mazoku." Cloud ordered with his mako eyes narrowed on Xelloss.

"Mister Cloud, what are you doing? And why are you threatening Mister Xelloss?" Amelia asked

"His voice..."Cloud started. "I heard it back at the Lifestream when I was too burned out to move. He's one of the people who brought Sephiroth here!"

"What?!" everyone exclaimed.

Xelloss set his slitted eyes on Cloud. Smirking, he said, "Well, I'm surprised. I thought that you had lost consciousness after your fight with Sephiroth. You're much more resilient than I gave you credit for, Mr. Strife

Zelgadis stared at the priest with in a mixture of shock and disgust. "Are you insane, Xelloss! Bringing a monster like that to our world?! I thought you Mazoku wished to destroy the world yourselves instead of enlisting help from other worlds."

"Zelgadis, I'm surprised at you. You know well that even we Mazoku have our pride. We did not bring Sephiroth to end the world, we have a far greater purpose in mind for him."

"Zelgadis is right, you are insane!" Tifa said angrily. "Do you people really think you can control him? You're delusional!

He doesn't pledge allegiance to anyone except Jenova."

"My, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have a more immediate concern? Like Miss Lina?"

"What are you saying?"

Xelloss opened his slitted eyes, violet eyes staring straight at Zelgadis. "You've been so busy licking your wounds and interrogating me you seem to have forgotten that Miss Lina is out there, alone, with Sephiroth.

"You dirty bastard!" Zelgadis shouted. He was about to deliver a fist to his face when he was stopped by a metal claw clamping down on his wrist.

Vincent stared down at Zelgadis sternly. "Do you not see that this is a waste of time. If we hope to save your friend, you must let go of your anger and focus.

Zelgadis turned and gave Vincent a hateful glare; Vincent merely continued to stare coldly, his crimson eyes fixed on Zelgadis' turquoise eyes. It was a contest of wills as the two stared each other down, until they were interrupted by Amelia. "Mister Zelgadis, please! Miss Lina needs us right now. We shouldn't be fighting among ourselves."

Zelgadis turned to Amelia's pleading face and felt his anger melt away. Zelgadis nodded and roughly pulled his arm out of Vincent's grasp. Shooting one last glare at Xelloss, He reluctantly said "we better find her and fast."

BOOM!

Lina had just dodged another energy blast and countered with Flare Lance. Sephiroth swatted it away with his black, razor sharp wing; it blew up the ground, leaving a smoldering crater. Sephiroth grinned, "My turn." With a gesture with his wing, the ground around Lina erupted into a wall of energy. Lina was surrounded by the wall of energy, unable to maneuver from Sephiroth's next attack, "Fire 3-all!" Lina saw numerous balls of fire, each being the size of a basket ball, hurling from the sky directly at her. Lina placed a Defense spell on herself to block the barrage of fireballs, but she was barely managing to maintain it. Then it happened. Her shield finally broke and she was engulfed by the explosion.

Sephiroth smiled in triumph until a band of light came bursting out from the inferno and slashed Sephiroth across the chest, leaving a huge gash. Sephiroth grunted in pain, using his one human arm to cover the wound on his chest. Lina flew out of the fire, burns visible on her clothes and skin. She summoned the Balus Rod into her hand and struck at Sephiroth again. This time,

However, Sephiroth was prepared. He grabbed the thin band of light in his left hand, tugging on it causing Lina to fall forward since she was still holding it. They both pulled, trying to overpower one another until a devious grin appeared on Sephiroth's face. He again made a motion with his wing arm and the ground underneath Lina erupted in a column of energy. Lina was blasted back by the attack, landing on her back. Slowly, she sat up, wincing in pain. she was greeted by the palm of a hand in front of her face. She looked up to see Sephiroth's leering face staring back at her, her eyes widened in realization at what he was about to do. Before she could think of anything, Sephiroth said cruelly, "Goodbye." He released an energy beam point blank in Lina's face.

Lina's screams could be heard throughout the field.

Sephiroth returned to his original form and approached the lifeless sorceress. When he got near her he put his foot under her chin, lifting her head up so he could stare into her eyes; Lina could not help but look at with near lifeless eyes. Sephiroth smirked, "It would be so easy to kill you right now", He pulled out his sword, pointing at her face. "But you harbor too much potential and it would be a shame to kill you now. No, I know you weren't using your full power because you exhausted all your magic protecting your weak friends so you weren't fighting at your best. I will let you live just a while longer until you're ready to face me one on one. The next time we meet, I expect you to be in top form."

"LINA!"

"MS.LINA!"

Sephiroth turned his head to see Gourry and Amelia coming, followed by the rest of the group. He looked down at Lina and smirked, "Well, your friends have arrived, so I will take my leave of you. Until next time, Lina." With that Sephiroth vanished.

Gourry rushed over to Lina, cradling his fiancée in his arms. "Lina, are you alright? Lina?! Please, say something!" Lina was unable to speak and was losing consciousness. But before she did she thought one thing,

_Sephiroth...What are you planning?_

Well, What did you think? Did you enjoy the battle between Lina and Sephiroth? Don't worry; this won't be the last time the two will clash. How about that bit of tension between Vinnie and Zel? I figured since their personalities are so similar (them brooding about being monsters and all) I thought it would only be a matter of time before conflicts would arise. So, Do you want more Zel and Vinnie interaction? Well, until next time, ja ne!


	10. A Time of Recovery! Getting to Know You?

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or Final Fantasy VII. They belong to their respective creators.

Taroguru: "Hi everyone! And welcome to Chapter 10 of Final Fantasy Slay—erk!"

(Gourry is seen running while dragging Taroguru behind him)

Taroguru: Oi, Gourry! What the heck do you think you're doing?

Gourry(panicked): "NOTIMETOEXPLAINYOUHAVETOGETOUTTAHERENOWORWE'REALLGOINGTODIE!!!"

Taroguru: I can't understand a word of that, bakayaro! Now will you please speak like a sane person?"

(Zel appears jogging along with Gourry)

Zel: "Gourry's right! There's no time to explain! Just move it or SHE will come!

Taroguru(raises an eyebrow): "'SHE'?"

KABOOM!

(The three look towards the collapsed wall. There standing was the scariest, most horrifying creature the world has ever seen)

Zel and Gourry: "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! SHE'S HERE!!!!!!!"

Lina(looking beyond pissed): "TAROGURU!!"

(Taroguru's eyes bug out of his head as he does a Homer-like shriek)

Lina(while holding a fireball in her hand): "You lousy, no good, turncoat bastard! How dare you do that to me!!"

Taroguru(trembling in fear): "Wha..? W-what ever do you m-mean, L-Lina-chan? Eh heh…

Lina: "You know damn well what I mean! You let that Sephiroth freak kick me around like I was a rag doll in that last chapter! What's up with that?!!" (fireball grows even bigger)

Taroguru(frantically waving his hands): Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! It wasn't anything personal, Lina. I would've let you won that fight, honestly I would! But like I said before I have big plans for you and Sephiroth, so I couldn't let you win now."

Lina: "WELL WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE ENDED IN A DRAW?!"

Taroguru(blinks, then sweatdrops): "Uh, well…that never occurred to me, heh heh"(gives a cheesy grin)

Lina(roars): "WHAT?! What do you mean 'it never occurred to me'? you moronic, absent-minded, thoughtless, inconsiderate second-rate excuse for an author! I"LL SHOW YOU!" (hurls the fireball at Taroguru's head)

Taroguru: "Aaah! (Taroguru ducks; the fireball toasting his Orphen and Saiyuki posters on the wall) Well, it's been nice talking to ya, Lina, but I've gotta be heading for school, bye!"(grabs Zel and Gourry and takes off running)

Lina: "Come back here and take your punishment like a man!" (chases after them)

Zel: "Wait a minute! Why are you dragging us for?"

Taroguru: "For protection, duh! She can't kill me without blasting you first! Especially if I have Gourry!"

Zel(sarcastically): "Right. Like 'that's' stopped her before."

Taroguru: "Shut up, Rocky!(A/N:Sorry, Gerao-A, I couldn't resist) and move your ass!"(turns his head to look at the audience) "This may be my last chapter if I don't escape Lina's wrath so here's Chapter ten of 'Final Fantasy Slayers!' Enjoy!"

**A Time of Recovery! Getting to Know You?**

"So, how is she?" Tifa asked reluctantly, afraid of what the answer may be.

Amelia and Yuffie sighed, exhausted. They had stayed at Lina's bedside for three days straight tending to her wounds with the strongest healing spells they knew. The others had found a small inn that they could settle in the next town. Gourry insisted on staying with Lina until she woke up, but considering the condition she was in, it looked like she wouldn't awaken for quite a while.

"Well, we're not sure. We managed to patch her up the best we could, but there are still some bruises and burns that will take time to heal," Amelia said tiredly. She took a seat next Cid, who was tapping his finger on the top of the table impatiently.

"Well, we should let Ms. Lina get her rest. It's not as if we have anywhere else to go at the moment," Cait Sith said. "After all, Sephiroth must have been too tired out to fight us anyway. I mean, he did have to fight all twelve of us at once."

"Unlikely. You must keep in mind of Sephiroth's strength and endurance given to him by Jenova's power. He can fight for indefinite periods of time and heal any physical wound afflicted upon him," Vincent stated logically.

"I'd imagine." Zel remarked, leaning on the wall. "But, what I want to know is just what would Xelloss want with Sephiroth."

"Well, that's what we want you to tell us, stone face," Yuffie said rudely. Zel made an indignant face. " 'Stone face'?" But Yuffie continued on with her ranting, "And what was up with Xer-ass guy or whatever his name was anyway? I mean that jerk just popped out of nowhere like he was some ghost or something! And not only did he act fruity but he has, like, the creepiest eyes I've ever seen! I mean Gawd! Why would anyone want to go out with a guy like that?"

"Yuffie, you're getting a 'little' off-topic, don't you think?" Red XIII said smirking at the young ninja. "We're not talking about your taste in men, after all. Besides, we all know that you're into those dark, mysterious types" Yuffie growled loudly at the lion-like creature who continued to grin. She stole a glance at Vincent and blushed. "Yeah, like you know anything, Red!" She pulled her left eyelid down and stuck her tongue at him.

"Quit being brats and act your age," said Zelgadis gruffly. " This is serious. We need to concentrate on our next move, not waste our time listening to the two of you bicker."

Yuffie just waved him off "Oh, lighten up, Stony. We can't do much of anything right now 'til Lina wakes up. By the way," Yuffie turned to face Cloud. "You still didn't tell us what you were doing with her, anyway."

Cloud sighed. "That's a REALLY long story, but basically we were sent here by Aeris—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Did you say 'by Aeris'? But Aeris is dead, Cloud!" Yuffie protested.

"Shut up, brat, and let the man finish." Cid said angrily, bopping Yuffie on the head. Yuffie glared for a moment, then sat down and listened quietly, but not before grumbling a few colorful words and phrases at our 'favorite' pilot.

"I know it's hard to believe, Believe me, but I swear it happened. Aeris spoke to me, probably sometime after the mazoku came for Sephiroth. I suppose that she was communicating with me from the Lifestream. Basically, she wanted us to find Lina Inverse and help her because the Mazoku want to use Sephiroth for some plan of theirs."

"Hmm, She must have used the power of Holy to transport us here then." Red concluded.

"So, let me get this straight: Aeris sent us, on another PLANET, to play bodyguard for a bunch of people we don't even know? That's nuts!" Yuffie said.

"Well, we didn't exactly ask for your help so you shouldn't feel any obligation to continue," Zelgadis stated emotionlessly.

"Look, we didn't ask to be here either, ya know? But we are, so you're just going to have to deal with it." Barret said, folding his large arms.

"Mr. Zelgadis, they did help us. I think it's okay to trust them." Amelia said, voicing her opinion.

Zelagdis stared at Amelia for a second then shook his head negatively. "It's not a matter of trusting them, Amelia; It's a matter of responsibility. This is the second time we had to deal in the affairs of Overworlders bringing their trouble to our world. Darkstar and Valgaav were enough to put up with, but now thanks to them we have to worry about being pursued by a person who's just as powerful."

"Just wait one freakin' minute here, Granite-for-Brains! Are you saying that this is our fault?" Yuffie asked heatedly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If you had dealt with Sephiroth on your own world none of this would be happening now." Zelgadis said, without remorse.

"And just how would the outcome have turned out any differently?" Vincent asked, sending a slight glare at the young shaman. "Perhaps you are right that we weren't strong enough to destroy Sephiroth on our own but we had believed at the time that Sephiroth was no longer a threat. We were wrong; but we wish to remedy that mistake. And do not speak as if it were that simplistic; you have no idea of the losses we have all had to suffer during our mission." Vincent responded, he hadn't noticed his raise in tone near the end of his speech.

"You're right, I don't. And frankly, I don't care. Stop hiding behind excuses." Zelgadis stated coldly. Vincent glared into the chimera's eyes with barely veiled anger. His bronze claw made a 'clink' noise as it closed into a fist by his side. Then, without warning, Yuffie slapped the chimera, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand. Everyone except Yuffie started in surprise. She decided to make her opinion of Zelgadis known before the tall gunslinger could. "You, You soulless son of a bitch! How can you say something so heartless? Don't you ever consider others' feelings?! We lost a good friend to that psycho Sephiroth! And you want to turn your nose up about it and be ignorant? I feel sick and disgusted at myself for saving a cold-hearted monster like you!" With that, Yuffie sat up from her chair and bolted out of the room, tears flowing down her face. Zelgadis sat there, dumb-founded. Not only at the girl's words, but by the fact that her slap had actually hurt him.

"Ms. Yuffie, wait!" Amelia got up from her chair and ran after Yuffie, but not before giving Zelgadis a reproachful look.

They all sat in silence; All of the remaining members of their group lowering their eyes on the table. Cloud was the first to say something after a long period of silence; he faced Zelgadis, saying "You know, Lina talked a lot about you while I was traveling with her. She said you were an all around pessimist, cynical, and mistrustful of others, but she also said that you were a loyal friend and companion that she could count on. And from what Lina's told me about your past, I don't blame you for being suspicious of us. I know I would be if I were you. But whether you're willing to believe it or not, we're on your side. You can either accept our sincerity or not, but regardless, we will be helping you whether you like it or not." Cloud crossed his arms stubbornly, looking pointedly at Zelgadis.

"He's right." Tifa spoke this time, "We didn't come here to start any trouble and you're right; Sephiroth is our responsibility, But we weren't the ones who brought Sephiroth here, it was the Mazoku. Trust me, I'm not trying to make excuses for us but I just want you to understand that we aren't entirely at fault for putting this world in so much danger. We want to make things right but we need your help."

Zelgadis lowered his head in deep contemplation. He was fighting the instinctive feelings of mistrust and trying to accept the logic and honesty in their words, but it was difficult. His past taught him a harsh lesson in humanity. After all, his own grandfather had turned him into a monster. The only people Zelgadis had ever truly trusted were Rodimus and Zolf (Dilgear was the only one that Zel didn't particularly trust nor liked and his intuition had served him well), who were his mentors since childhood. Even as he got to know Lina he was still wary of her. (A/N: Taroguru: who wouldn't? She IS pretty unorthodox, y'know. Lina(opens the closet door): There you are! Taroguru: Aaah!) But gradually, he began to accept the friendship that they offered, even returning it as best as he could. These new people had not only saved him but Lina as well, not to mention that none of them seemed malignant nor did they seem like the type of people to have ulterior motives. He thought for a moment. He was initially grateful for their help when they had first met, but that was due to the circumstances. Still, he would, for once, ignore his paranoid skepticism and give them the benefit of a doubt. He sighed, massaging his temples to soothe the migraine that he was developing. He raised his head up, looking Cloud squarely in the eyes. "Alright, I'm willing to trust you and give you a chance, but no surprises or tricks. Otherwise…" He let the sentence hang, feeling that there was no need to continue.

"Fine. We're agreed then," Cloud said in agreement. He extended his hand to Zelgadis, which Zelgadis took hesitantly and shook it.

"Well, I don't know about you all but all this tension crap is making me hungry, so let's eat something to eat for &&'s sake!" Cid complained; Barret 'humphed' in agreement.

"I think we should wait until Amelia comes back with Yuffie first. It wouldn't be fair if we started without them." Tifa said.

"Eh, I wouldn't hold my breath, Teef. Yuffie was pretty pissed off by what Zelgadis said. It'll probably be good for her to let out some steam for awhile," Cloud explained.

"Cloud, you 'do' know what Yuffie does to relieve anger, don't you?" Tifa questioned incredulously.

"Of course! She---Cloud's eyes widened to the size of saucers, realization hitting him like a brick wall, --Oh holy mother of crap, Poor Amelia" he murmured, shaking his head in pity.

"Well, what does Yuffie do when she's upset?" Zelgadis inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Cloud turned his head slowly. Looking at him with closed, slanted eyes, he muttered "Target practice."

"MS. YUFFIE, WAIT! CALM DOWN!! AHHHH!!!!" Amelia screamed, running as if all the seven horsemen were after her. She tripped and fell, which was a good thing since the flying shuriken whizzed past where her head was a split second ago. It sliced cleanly through two trees that were now reduced to stumps and splinters. Yuffie angrily grabbed her Conformer, took aim, and with a growl threw it again. Amelia shrieked loudly and sprinted, moving at twice the speed she had before.

_Why does this always happen to me?? _Amelia thought as she ran through the forest. _Ooohhh, I'd never imagined she'd be so angry! Her temper is almost as bad as Miss Lina's! _She could hear Yuffie's rather crude and offensive rantings of Zelgadis' personality, upbringing, and the others she couldn't understand since they were being said in Wutainese.

"No good, insensitive, ungrateful, conceited, egotistical, rotten, spikey-haired, son of an incubus!! I hope that damned coffee of his burns his lungs out! I hope his eyes boil out of their sockets from pink eye! I hope that he is reduced to a fountain statue so he has the pigeons plaster on his head!" And so on.

Amelia would have protested on Zelgadis' behalf if it weren't for the fact that she was running for her life. They continued this way for what seemed like hours: Yuffie attacking everything in sight (95 of the time being Amelia) and Amelia trying to take cover from her rampage. Finally, Amelia fell face first to the ground, exhausted too tired out to run; Yuffie fell to her knees shortly after. The two teenagers sat there, panting. They looked at each other weakly—then, after a long silence Amelia began to giggle, a few seconds later, so did Yuffie. This elevated into full-blown laughter; the two could no longer contain it anymore. They continued laughing for a full five minutes until they started to calm themselves—and even then, there were some chuckles.

"We are so ridiculous," Amelia commented, still giggling a bit. She laid flat on her back, her arms and legs spread out. Yuffie was propped up against a tree (one of the few remaining), her hands folded behind her head and her legs crossed. Yuffie gazed up at the sky, which was a clear sea of blue without a cloud in sight. She looked over at Amelia, grinning. "What do ya mean 'We'? YOU were the one running through the forest screaming 'Please, Miss Yuffie, calm down! Don't kill me!' and stuff."

Amelia threw a mock glare at the shinobi, "Well, maybe I wouldn't if you didn't keep chasing me around with that weapon of yours, trying to slice my head off! Honestly! I've never seen anyone go so berserk like that besides Miss Lina."

That caused Yuffie to grin mischeivously. "Y'know, I'm still a little angry…" Yuffie burst out laughing when she saw Amelia's face turn as pale as a ghost while backing away from her slowly. "Kidding! I'm kidding! Sheesh, no one seems to get my sense of humor."

"Er…right. Anyway, Miss Yuffie, I want to apologize for what Mr. Zelgadis said. He's not exactly open to new people, but that's because he doesn't trust people easily." Amelia explained.

Yuffie let out a sigh. "Yeah, maybe. It's just that the guy is so frustrating! Vinnie and I saved his butt and then he goes and treats us like we're fugitives or something. I just wish he'd be a little more understanding. I mean, we don't look like assassins or whatever do we?" Amelia gave her a strange look, eyeing her up and down. Yuffie sweatdropped, "Okay, okay, dumb question! But do we seem like the—oh, just forget it."

"Well, anyway, we should probably be getting back now. They're probably wondering what happened to us," suggested Amelia.

"Right, right. Let's go." With that, the two young girls set out toward the inn.

Lina laid in her bed, securely; Gourry stroking locks of her auburn hair. She had a patch on her cheek where Sephiroth had struck her. Lina had sustained serious injury form her fight with Sephiroth; the top half of her body was covered in bandages, due to the fact that Sephiroth's energy attacks had burned away most of her clothing. Gourry sat on the chair, watching Lina intently; his mind clouded with thoughts of what had happened. He felt so helpless. _I should have helped her _Gourry thought, angry at himself. _I should have helped Lina when she needed me but I…couldn't do anything. That guy, Sephyrot-or-whatever, he was so strong. I could feel something…unreal about him the moment I saw him, but I didn't know he could beat the two of us so easily. I mean, I never seen anyone stand up to Lina's Dragon Slave like that before! I never thought anyone except Valerie-o r-was it Dalgaav? _Gourry gazed down at the sword that rested on his hip. _Not even my new sword could hurt him. I'm Lina's protector. I know she's strong enough to defend herself but that's not the point. We're partners. We're supposed to help and support each other any way we can and I can't even do that! If I can't be there for Lina as her friend and partner, how will I handle being a husband to her? _Gourry sighed as these thoughts weighed heavily on his mind. He resumed his vigil over Lina until he heard a knock on the door. "It's open."

Gourry was somewhat surprised to see Cloud walk through the door. He wore a solemn look on his face as he gazed at the taller swordsman. One could easily mistake the two for brothers due to their eye and hair color—not to mention their skill with a sword. Cloud lookeddown at Lina's still form. Returning his attention to Gourry, he asked, "How is she?"

Gourry looked down at his feet, "a little better. Her burns are healing at least, but she hasn't woken up yet."

Cloud patted his shoulder. "Cheer up. She may have taken a beating but she's strong, she'll get better soon."

Gourry sighed, running his hand through his long hair. "I know that. It's just that….I feel so useless."

Cloud grabbed an extra chair from the corner of the room and dragged it over to Gourry. He took a seat next to him staring at him with a look of understanding. "…You shouldn't blame yourself, y'know Gourry."

"I know. I just can't help it. Lina's my responsibility. I can't help thinking that I should've done something," said Gourry, bowing his head.

Cloud shook his head, sighing. "But you couldn't. We couldn't get to her in time. That's fact. And what good would we have been in our condition. We would be no better off than Lina is right now. You need to understand that there are just some things that are beyond our control.

Gourry rose his head slightly. "Then why do I feel like this? Why do I feel so guilty?" he whispered.

Cloud's lips curved upwards. "Because you love her, that's why. Trust me, I know what it feels like to want to protect something precious to you."

Gourry's expression became one of confusion. "What do you mean? How would you know?"

Cloud sighed again; he didn't want to discuss it since it is so heartbreaking to him, but he was willing to tell his new friend of his past. "You see, When I was a kid I would always get into brawls with the other kids in my village. They hated me for being a fatherless child and the adults thought I was nothing but a delinquent. I was basically an outcast in my own town. But that was partially my fault since I always used to think that I was superior to the other kids because I was more mature than they were. Not that I wanted those people in particular to be my friends, but I just wanted to belong: To play and have fun; to be normal, But I was too full of pride. The only one who seemed to at least tolerate me were Tifa and my mother. Tifa and I were never really close when we were kids, but I always admired her for her personality, and how people were so naturally attracted to her as a person. A few months later, Tifa's mother fell ill and died, Tifa was so depressed that she went to climb Mt. Nibel by herself. I was so worried that I followed her up there. I was still a ways behind since she already reached the bridge. By the time I reached her the rope snapped and we both fell off the bridge." Cloud took a deep breath; this one part he hates more than anything. "I survived with a scratch or two but Tifa was in a coma for an entire week; I was afraid she would never wake up. I watched every chance I got whether it was outside by her window or from my house, praying she would be okay. When I heard Tifa had woken up I was thrilled. I rushed over to her house but her father stopped me from seeing her saying it was my fault she was in that condition in the first place. I thought that he was right at that time, and that it was my fault, but now that I look back on it…it wasn't. If I wasn't there Tifa would have died and would have hated myself even more for not doing a thing to stop it. One night, I asked Tifa to meet me at the well in the middle of town. I told her I was going to become a SOLDIER and become as strong as Sephiroth." Cloud chuckled mirthlessly at this, "Then, we made a promise; that if I ever made it in SOLDIER and she was ever in trouble, I would come and protect her."

Cloud looked at Gourry who was surprised by his new friend's openness but he wasn't done. "Years later, after I had failed getting into SOLDIER, I returned home, ashamed. I didn't let anyone but my mother know who I was. I definitely couldn't face Tifa since I failed in becoming the person I thought she wanted, so I hid behind my mask, not even allowing myself to speak to her the entire time. Then," Cloud's face hardened. "It happened—Sephiroth went insane after discovering he was an experiment just like those monsters we found at the reactor. He used a powerful fire spell and set the whole town on fire, he slaughtered the townspeople, killed my mother—" Cloud grimaced at the memory before continuing. "Then, he headed to the reactor at the mountains to free Jenova. I arrived there only to find Tifa crying over her father's death at

Sephiroth's hands. She took his sword and went after him, I followed her. I saw Tifa attack Sephiroth with his own sword but the sword was too powerful for her to handle properly and Sephiroth managed to overpower her and cut Tifa across her chest. I was able to use a Phoenix Down to keep her alive, after that I took my friend Zack's sword—who tried to fight Sephiroth too but was hurt badly-- and took off after Sephiroth. He had already freed Jenova and while he was distracted, I ran him through. But it wasn't enough to kill him so I finished him off by tossing him and his sword into the mako energy."

Gourry nodded in understanding, even though he was still in the dark about mako and Jenova, he could understand the rest. Cloud stood up and stretched, letting out a loud groan. He finished stretching and looked down at Gourry, "But do you see what I'm saying, Gourry? I made a promise to someone I cared about that I would protect them also, and even if I failed I wouldn't give up on myself or doubt myself anymore, I would just keep doing my best to ensure that she is never put in danger again. I may not have been able to protect my mother or Aeris but I refuse to let anything happen to Tifa. So, don't give up on yourself; Lina believes you're a great protector and you always will be, but only if you still believe in yourself first.

Gourry smiled gratefully, "thanks, Cloud, I'll remember that."

Cloud smiled back. "good."

You understand what is expected of you, correct.

Yes.

Then you know what you must do.

Yeah, yeah. I got it already! I'll be sure to let the girl know where Lina and her friends will be found so they can meet up. You've told me this like 20 times already!

Merely ensuring that you carry out your duty without mishap. Besides you realize that the dragon girl must reach Lina and Cloud's parties before the Mazoku discover of our motives.

Why is it so vital that they should work together? Surely it's not that—

It is ESSENTIAL that the dragon priestess reach Lina Inverse before the Monster Race proceed with their plan! They will need both their friends AND enemies in order to

Combat the one who wishes to restart what Shabranigdo started, thousands of years ago.

Alright, you don't have to scream! I'll personally see that she is taken to them(after all I want to see Lina's face when she whose come to check on her heh heh heh…)

Did you say something?

Oh, nothing Lord Bahamut.

You are a strange one, Luna Inverse.


End file.
